Quality and Safety
Because he thinks in stories, Atul Gawande - surgeon, author, professor - started his recent lecture about the costs and failures of the country's healthcare system with a story about a middle-aged car mechanic in Alabama.
Sixty-five hospitals recognized for best performance in patient safety and quality for 2010 - an award that hinges heavily on IT use - were announced Wednesday by watchdog organization The Leapfrog Group.
A hospital in Illinois known as "Good Sam," and a healthcare consulting group in Florida, are among the seven 2010 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners. Information technology is at the core of the operations for both winners.
Identity management in healthcare was a hot topic at the Smart Card Alliance 9th Annual Smart Cards in Government Conference held last week in Washington. Controlling access to healthcare records, particularly when it comes to consent, was an issue recognized by experts as requiring more innovation.
Quality Partners of Rhode Island, whose focus is on healthcare quality improvement, has been selected to serve on the Health Information Technology Competency Taskforce, funded through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to improve the health status of American Indian and Alaska Native veterans, officials announced Tuesday. The MOU includes improving care though the development of health information technology.
There's little question that electronic health records reduce adverse drug events and improve quality of care. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing everything to make sure they're as safe and as easy to use as possible, said National Coordinator for HIT, David Blumenthal, MD, at the launch of EHRevent.org, a new safety reporting system that will allow healthcare providers to report adverse issues related to the implementation and use of EHRs.
Maine's culture is to "get things done" - and when it comes to improving the quality of care through IT, the state has positioned itself well, said its director of the Office of the State Coordinator for HIT, James Leonard at a regional extension center (REC) educational forum this week.
When it comes to following recommended processes for patient care the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system outperforms the private sector, according to a recent report. Report authors cite the use of information technology as a possible reason.
The healthcare industry is spending an estimated $6 billion annually on data breaches of patient information, according to the latest benchmark study by Ponemon Institute. Protecting patient data is a low priority, the study concludes.