October 18, 2012 Gabriel Perna
article
The Advisory Board Company, a Washington, D.C.-based research, technology, and consulting firm, recently opened up a Patient Engagement Blue Button Challenge, in a way to get the competitive juices flowing and determine the potential of Blue Button in a free market system. In this interview, David Chao, Ph.D. of The Advisory Board Company, talks about the benefits of the challenge and how they determined a winner.
October 15, 2012 Gabriel Perna
news
According to researchers from the University of Central Florida, various things such as education level, income, and age, are not huge influential factors in health literacy and consequently a person’s desire to use a personal health record (PHR). The researchers surveyed 562 patients in a medical practice in Florida, representing 14 percent of the patient population, and found that a wide range of patients, even those with a low education level, accepted PHR technology.
October 8, 2012
news
The Advisory Board Company, a global consulting firm based in Washington D.C., is awarding $25,000 to Kinergy Health, Vienna, Va., as part of its Patient Engagement Blue Button Challenge. The Advisory Board Company announced Kinergy as the winner of the challenge, which aimed to find the best vendor that was providing a Blue Button integrated patient-provider data solution, at the Health 2.0 conference in San Francisco this week.
October 2, 2012
news
The Office for the National Coordinator of Health IT (ONC) is continuing its push to increase awareness of the “Blue Button” concept. The Blue Button concept is a symbol for an easy way for a patient to electronically view, transmit, and download their health information. ONC is asking people to create a short approximately two minute video mentioning Blue Button, and encouraging others to learn more about it by visiting, www.healthIT.gov/bluebutton.
September 21, 2012
news
According to a recent survey from health analytics and services firm, the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Optum Institute, consumers are eager to use online healthcare tools, but physician systems aren’t yet up to par. While 70 percent of physicians surveyed said they have basic Electronic Medical Record (EMR) capabilities, only 40 percent of physicians have the capability to engage with patients via email or provide patients with access to their health records.
September 19, 2012
news
According to a new poll by Harris Interactive, even though a small percentage of patients are using web-based services to facilitate interactions with their healthcare providers, there is a strong demand for this market. The survey, of 2,311 U.S. adults (ages 18 and over), looked to explore how "healthcare consumers" are making their decisions when it comes to engaging in their care treatment.
September 12, 2012
news
The Chicago-based American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), a nonprofit representing health information management professionals, has developed a guide that aims to help consumers understand how to access and use their medical records. The guide, called Understanding Your Medical Record, was posted to myPHR.com, a website launched the myPHR.com website as a resource for consumers interested in maintaining their own personal health records.
September 5, 2012 Gabriel Perna
blog
Everywhere I turn lately, I see some kind of new patient engagement-centered platform being touted by vendors, providers, and/or payers. A recent conversation I had with Richard Ferrans, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer at Presence Health, helped open my eyes as to why everyone wants to get in on the patient engagement bandwagon.
August 31, 2012
news
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that its Blue Button initiative, which allows VA patients to view and download their personal health information into a single, portable file, has reached one million patients.
August 24, 2012 Gabriel Perna
article
Patient engagement is no longer just a provider-led initiative in a patient-care environment. Payers, like Humana, are attempting to get their members more involved with various platforms and programs, as noted in a recent research report. In this exclusive interview, Humana’s vice president of Medicare services Kathryn Creech talks with HCI Associate Editor Gabriel Perna about the company’s recent foray into this environment, an initiative to serve Medicare Advantage diabetes patients.
August 23, 2012 John DeGaspari
blog
As technology becomes more pervasive in healthcare, examples of how it is being used effectively to improve care are cropping up everywhere. I came across one example yesterday, during a conference call regarding the announcement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the selection of primary care practices to participate in the agency’s Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative.
August 22, 2012 John DeGaspari
article
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Aug. 22 announced a roster of 500 primary care practices in seven regions that will participate in its Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative, a public-private partnership to strengthen primary care. The initiative includes participation by CMS, state Medicaid agencies, commercial health plans, self-insured businesses, and primary care providers.
