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After 10 years at the helm of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), high-profile leader Carolyn Clancy, MD, will step down as director. The agency is known for its research focused on outcomes and quality of care.
Consumers aren't the only ones using mobile apps to improve their health. Their doctors are using them, too. A recent study conducted by Epocrates indicates physicians are accessing drug information at the point of care, often through a mobile medical app, to make sure the drugs they're prescribing aren't harming their patients. That, says the San Mateo, Calif.-based developer of online reference tools, amounts to more than 27 million potentially dangerous drug interactions avoided each year.
Janet Hofmeister discusses Florida HIE's strategy for financial sustainability, challenges, and keeping up with the rules and regulations.
A central part of American hospitals, the intensive care unit (ICU) could benefit greatly from evolving health information technologies, offering clinical decision support, quality analysis and a new foundation for a critical care system changing with an aging patient population. Yet ICU triaging -- prioritizing of the most severe conditions -- has been underutilized and under-encouraged by the federal government, a team of medical researchers argue in a New England Journal of Medicine commentary.
Healthcare executives interested in learning strategies for formulating a clinical and business intelligence strategic plan should attend the C&BI Symposium, a daylong event being held on March 3 at the 2013 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition.
ChenMed, a family owned primary care practice, has developed a delivery model focused on care for seniors with complicated healthcare issues, including heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and cancer.
To curb a common cause of faulty healthcare -- "use of the pen" -- hospitals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have turned to voice technology, a move welcomed by clinicians.
ChenMed uses dashboards, clinical decision support tools, automated reminders, in-house pharmacy and drug utilization tracking systems as part of every care encounter, Sivak said.
The business value for providers and patients is what will drive health information exchange forward, even though most discussions typically center on the technology involved. And different uses for exchange will require different technologies.
While their colleagues in Washington are starting to take interest in the promises of digital health, lawmakers in several states are forging ahead with their own legislative ideas. According to the American Telemedicine Association, seven states and the District of Columbia have seen bills introduced in the past four weeks that address coverage and reimbursement for telemedicine services.