August 5, 2013 John DeGaspari
news
A recent online consumer survey found that electronic medical records (EMRs) are an important factor in patient satisfaction with their doctors, as well as their choice of healthcare providers. The survey was conducted by Deerfield, Ill.-based Aeffect, Inc., a research and consulting firm, and 88 Brand Partners, a marketing firm in Chicago.
July 19, 2013 David Raths
article
In August 2013, the California Department of Public Health will launch an immunization-messaging portal that it says will help providers qualify for meaningful use incentive payments. To qualify for meaningful use payments, immunization information will need to be submitted in HL7 format from a certified EHR.
July 4, 2013 M. Wayne Craige
blog
It’s Monday July 8 and you woke up feeling sick, and you know you better see your doctor. In the office, your doctor looks you over, listens to your symptoms, but before he prescribes a drug, the doctor said, “Lets get a sample of your blood so that I can take a look at your Deoxyribonucleic Acid”. You heard me right, your DNA!
February 22, 2013 Gabriel Perna
article
In 2012, Leonard Kish, a health IT strategist, made a bold proclamation about a new “blockbuster drug of the century.” The drug Kish was referring to can’t be found in stores or in a scientific laboratory. Instead, he said, it was something conceptual, adding that if healthcare organizations of all kinds made use of that “drug,” the results would be astounding.
February 19, 2013 Rajiv Leventhal
article
It might not be too long from now when healthcare providers across the country can share patient data electronically in just a few seconds. Indeed, according to a recent report from the Mountain View, Calif.-based research company, Frost & Sullivan, the health information exchange (HIE) market is set to grow significantly over the next 18-24 months thanks to various regulatory factors.
February 19, 2013 David Raths
news
The Massachusetts Health Data Consortium honored Joseph Kvedar, M.D., director of the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare in Boston, at its annual CIO Dinner held Feb. 12. Dr. Kvedar was one of three recipients presented the 2013 Dolores Mitchell Investing in Information award, along with Len Fishman, CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife, and H. Eugene Lindsey, M.D., president and CEO of Atrius Health.
October 30, 2012 Gabriel Perna
news
QuantiaMD, a provider of an online physician community platform, has closed a $12 million expansion round from investor Fuse Capital, the company announced. The company says the money will be used to meet a demand from payers and health systems that are attempting to engage and align physicians to achieve various quality-of-care objectives, both federal and otherwise.
August 29, 2012 Gabriel Perna
blog
After the CMS released the proposed rule for Stage 2 of meaningful use, it received a ton of pushback from providers on the patient engagement requirement, which asked for 10 percent of patients look at their data, download it, or transmit it to others through a portal. While it lowered the threshold by five percent, the point has been reinforced. Whether you like the patient engagement requirement or not, it’s time to push forward.
August 6, 2012
news
Integrated healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente has announced that its personal health record My Health Manager has reached a total of four million users, representing 63 percent of its eligible membership. Overall, users signed onto the PHR more than 100 million times in the last year alone, with 29.7 million lab results viewed online, 12.2 million emails sent to providers, 10 million prescriptions refilled, and 2.7 million appointments scheduled.
July 26, 2012 Gabriel Perna
article
This two-part podcast interview with the CEO of the National eHealth Collaborative, Kate Berry, explores the rising prominence of patient engagement in healthcare. In part 1, Berry and HCI Associate Editor Gabriel Perna discuss why providers and other healthcare entities are suddenly paying attention to patient engagement, and why deploying it effectively remains a mystery to many. She also talks about NeHC’s recent patient engagement summit.
July 25, 2012
news
The Chicago-based American Medical Association (AMA) has launched a new online community aimed at helping physicians improve their contracting strategies in a rapidly evolving healthcare system. The community, the Cutting-edge Contracting Group, would allow physicians, practice staff, and contract experts to connect and share tips, know-how and resources about contracting with managed care organizations.
July 24, 2012 Gabriel Perna
article
Across the country, providers are using mobile solutions to enhance nurses’ ability to take care of patients at the point of care, whether that’s through advanced communications, direct messaging, RFID barcode scanning, medication reconciliation, or some other means. It’s a recognition that nurses, as the glue of a provider setting, need to be armed with the latest technology.
