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Online data lockers are barely a ripple in the IT pond, showing up as secure sites where individuals can keep Web site passwords and other information, or as basic computer backup services. But as consumer data becomes more important to businesses, and cloud computing ditches the need for physical presences, this technology may very well put customer data in the hands of consumers - even in healthcare.
Today we announce the first cooperative agreement awards authorized by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. It marks a major milestone in our journey towards nationwide adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (health IT).
A survey conducted by market research firm division GfK Roper reveals that EHR usage is growing in the primary care physician and specialist groups. Of the 1,000 adults polled, 48.4 percent reported that their PCP or specialist documented their last visit electronically in the exam room. Within this group, 45.2 percent noted that their physician switched from paper to electronic in the last two years, while 14.3 percent indicated that the switch was done in the last six months. Is this trend – if it is a trend – a result of ARRA?
Last week, during the fever pitch surrounding the announcement of Apple’s iPad tablet, Software Advice surveyed 178 physicians, nurses, medical students and healthcare IT professionals about what the healthcare industry’s ideal tablet would look like.
In my recent Top 10 EHR Barriers blog, I identified usability of EHR software as a key issue. It appears that NIST, with ARRA funding and ONC guidance is doing something about it.
Since the beginning of 2010 there has been a series of acquisitions in healthcare IT market, which recently culminated in one of the largest, IBM’s acquisition of Initiate.
Is third time the charm for New Hampshire? Lawmakers in New Hampshire have been trying to pass legislation that gives patients control over who sees their medical records. Under HB 1649, patients can request an audit of who has accessed their electronic medical records.
Imagine it's 2020. You had a test done the day before, a test that was ordered because your physician was alerted via your EHR to a gap in care. The following morning, both you and your physician receive the results via e-mail, you via your PHR and she via her EHR system.
It's time to revive the discussion of electronic health record software in light of the new federal regulations that define criteria for meaningful use and also set criteria for the EHR technologies that must be implemented by doctors and hospitals in order for them to become, and be paid for being, "meaningful users of certified EHR technology."
I don't believe anyone in the healthcare industry believes ARRA will single-handedly drive up EHR adoption among providers. Of course, the hope is that the federal incentive money will bring physicians, for whom cost is an issue, into the fold. But what's going to really move the needle on EHR adoption?