September 17, 2013 Mark Hagland
blog
In an era in which commemorative weeks and months are everywhere and happening during any given week, does it make sense to celebrate something like the “National Health IT Week”? Actually, it does. Here’s why…
September 17, 2013 Rajiv Leventhal
news
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors has approved 71 awards, totaling more than $114 million over three years, to fund comparative clinical effectiveness research designed to answer questions most important to patients and those who care for them.
September 16, 2013 David Raths
blog
Dr. James Barr, chief medical director for Optimus Healthcare Partners and medical director of the Atlantic Health Systems ACO, talked about how he transformed his own family practice but also about how the ACO model and its analytics infrastructure can engage physicians in a high-performance network.
September 15, 2013 Mark Hagland
article
This summer, a group of healthcare researchers published a research article that evaluated the effects of standardized vascular health checks on health outcomes, for patients in six European countries. The implications for electronic health record-facilitated chronic care management and preventive health care in the U.S. are clear.
September 14, 2013 Mark Hagland
article
The issue of unnecessary elective early-term deliveries of babies is receiving increasing attention in patient care organizations nationwide. One patient care organization in which active work to make such changes has been taking place is the four-hospital, Springfield-based Baystate Health. There, the medical director of obstetrics, the chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology, and the organization’s clinical research director, are engaged in groundbreaking work in this very important area.
September 11, 2013 Gabriel Perna
article
Jonathan Teich, M.D., is in a unique position to comment on the intersection of IT and physician workflow. In this Q&A with HCI’s Associate Editor, Gabriel Perna, Dr. Teich shares his thoughts on health IT, specifically clinical decision support (CDS) systems, and how they fit into the workflow of a clinician.
September 10, 2013 Rajiv Leventhal
article
While the timing of Stage 2 of meaningful use has been a hot topic lately, there are tools and technology to help providers automate meaningful use so that practices of all sizes are ready for this huge next step. George Washington Medical Faculty Associates has found one solution to help them with the tedious tasks involved with meaningful use reporting.
September 4, 2013 Rajiv Leventhal
article
The Medical Center of Central Georgia recently transitioned to CPOE, but the hospital remains in the minority of those that had done so until very recently. Meanwhile, the challenges that linger for the hospitals that have yet to get on board remain tough to overcome.
September 4, 2013 Diane D. Homan, M.D.
article
It’s a unique time in healthcare. Public and private initiatives are aligning and are working synergistically toward the transformation of the healthcare system through improved care access, quality and cost. Part of this movement is a paradigm shift away volume-based, fee-for-service care toward a system where quality is the foundational aspect of all clinical and administrative operations—a healthcare system incentivized by a performance-based regulatory and reimbursement environment to provide proactive, patient-centered care.
September 3, 2013 Rajiv Leventhal
news
The Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolinas HealthCare System is one of the first health systems without a provider-sponsored health plan that will integrate payer and provider data to improve the health of people across the Southeast United States, according to the Premier Healthcare Alliance.
August 19, 2013 Mark Hagland
blog
It was fascinating to read a recent account in the July/August issue of “Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare” about a Six Sigma project around improving perioperative outcomes and processes. Not only was the case study a worthwhile read in itself, it clearly had implications for healthcare IT leaders.
