Jeff Rowe
Billians HealthData and Porter Research conducted two surveys providing a snapshot of provider perceptions of ARRA and meaningful use.
The California HealthCare Foundation released its findings on a survey about consumers and health IT, specifically PHRs. Historically PHRs have not gotten great adoption by consumers or general acceptance by industry stakeholders because the patient health data wasn't portable or incorporated into EHRs. That’s changing as technology continues to evolve. The survey mirrors those changes.
A new KLAS report reveals that physicians who are choosing an EMR system within the next two years are considering a larger pool of software vendors. That’s made possible because the market has grown so much.
As researchers gear up to focus on the issue of HIT security, a recent HIMSS study shows that the problem remains significant in hospitals.
In the April issue of Health Affairs, David Brailer, MD, former head of ONC, conducted an informative Q&A with current ONC chief, David Blumenthal, MD. It was a nice blending of the beginning of ONC and its vision, and the build out of that vision. Brailer, who has walked the walk of Blumenthal, asked insightful questions.
Critics of the federal stimulus grants for EHR adoption say the federal government is throwing money at health IT and won't be getting anything in return for it. Whether you believe money should be going into an EHR adoption initiative, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is making sure that stakeholders get a return on investment.
While a recent survey indicates that HIT adoption is steadily growing among small physician practices, it also highlights the concerns and confusion that policymakers need to address in order to keep the sector moving forward.
EHRs can help prevent, minimize or mitigate diagnostic errors, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In their paper - "Can Electronic Clinical Documentation Help Prevent Diagnostic Errors?" - Gordon D. Schiff, MD, and David W. Bates, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health note that this benefit is a "key selling point" for EHRs.
The chorus is growing and getting louder. A bipartisan group of 27 U.S. senators are calling on CMS to relax some of the requirements to achieve meaningful use and adopt a more manageable implementation process.
As EMRs gain greater adoption, multiple types of fraud resulting from exposure of health data has skyrocketed, according to a report by market research company Javelin Strategy & Research.