Quality and Safety
Most of the headlines about the choice of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as running mate for presidential candidate Mitt Romney have screamed about how the author of the House budget plan would upend the Medicare program and upset seniors' certainty about healthcare. Ryan's plans for Medicaid, however, are more extreme and immediate.
A pilot program at University of Missouri shows promise with the use of sensor technology to help aging adults remain in their homes longer while being monitored by care providers.
"Know thy health record" may seem a far cry from Socrates’ ancient Greek aphorism, "Know thyself," but the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) hopes its new "What's in Your Health Record??" video contest will bring patients some of the same good old-fashioned enlightenment.
Stoltenberg Consulting has found a way to put more health IT experts in the field with a new junior consultant program.
David Blumenthal, MD, who was the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology from 2009 to 2011, has been appointed president of the Commonwealth Fund. He will succeed Karen Davis, effective Jan. 1, 2013.
Life is one constant assessment. Analyzing one’s performance in a given category, these assessments can offer quantifiable feedback as to what one can improve upon. A “C” in math? Hold the video games; take the tutor. Four divorces? Perhaps it really is “it’s not you; it’s me.”
A new accountable care network (ACN) is in town. Putting health information technology to work, the network – organized by the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI) – aims to reduce hospital readmissions and improve quality of care for chronically ill patients.
The rewards, the point systems, the streamlined functionality… don’t be misled by the game-like structure of the “EveryBODY Get Healthy” care system. The platform is a lifestyle changer – specifically, one that’s expected to improve more than 120,000 lives in the greater Philadelphia area.
The University of Chicago, in collaboration with the Chicago Health Information Technology Regional Center (CHITREC) and the Alliance for Chicago Community Health Services plans to close the loop among doctors, patients and health resources in the South Side community of Chicago with a new system called “CommunityRx.”
Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the substance of the Affordable Care Act, it's time to refocus attention toward the essentially bipartisan support for health IT. At the same time, it's worth reconsidering some closely-held beliefs about technology's role in care delivery.