Government & Policy
The business value for providers and patients is what will drive health information exchange forward, even though most discussions typically center on the technology involved. And different uses for exchange will require different technologies.
While their colleagues in Washington are starting to take interest in the promises of digital health, lawmakers in several states are forging ahead with their own legislative ideas. According to the American Telemedicine Association, seven states and the District of Columbia have seen bills introduced in the past four weeks that address coverage and reimbursement for telemedicine services.
Preventing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) with UV light has been the recent focus of federal attention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a two-year study that will measure the effectiveness of using advanced, no-touch environmental UV disinfection technology to reduce infections.
Interoperability is a lynchpin for health IT advancement, yet it is lacking, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told the audience at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology 2012 Annual Meeting, Dec. 12 in Washington, DC.
A new House bill introduced on Dec. 30 that would expand telehealth services in Medicare and Medicaid programs has garnered the support of the American Telemedicine Association.
The ONC and NIH are working the EU health agencies to develop international interoperability standards, with the goal of increasing patient access to personal health information globally.
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) announced Thursday that it is conducting its latest online ICD-10 industry progress survey.
New findings show that communities where hospitals, other healthcare providers and community services work together to coordinate evidence-based hospital discharges and provide better support in the community can see a 6 percent drop in hospitalizations and rehospitalizations per 1,000 beneficiaries in just the first two years.
A look at how the Health eDecisions project is aimed at bolstering mainstream use of evidence-based practices.
The enhanced set of protections finalized in the omnibus HIPAA privacy and security rule released Jan.17 now becomes the new baseline for anyone who handles health information. It doesn't change meaningful use requirements, but combined, the two may drive more providers to protect patient data, according to privacy and security experts.