Electronic Health Records (EHR, EMR)

Federal incentives to support health IT have helped boost electronic prescribing by 72 percent across the country in 2010.

As radiologists struggle with whether meaningful use is relevant to them or worth the IT investment, experts are working to educate them on why it matters.

The Medicaid subsidiary of New Jersey’s largest healthcare insurer, Horizon Healthcare Services, is rolling out a new provider communications portal aimed at making communications between physicians and insurer easier and more efficient.

If any era demanded healthcare IT consultants, it’s this one. There is a greater need for expertise in more areas today than at any time in the past.

"Historically, telehealth hasn't received the attention that it's deserved from the federal government," says Neal Neuberger, executive director of the Institute for e-Health Policy and president of Health Tech Strategies. A case in point is the government's meaningful use program.

Earlier this spring, Maine State Sen. Roger Katz (R-Augusta), introduced a bill to the Legislature's Committee on Health and Human Services titled “An Act To Ensure Patient Privacy and Control with Regard to Health Information Exchanges.”

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has launched its attestation system – where hospitals and physicians participating in Medicare can verify online that they are meaningful users of certified electronic health records.

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, with more than 1,400 CIO members, is urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to rethink the government’s rulemaking proposals on accountable care organizations. At issue is a provision that would give individuals the option to restrict access to data.

It’s hard to tap the brakes – even ever so slightly – to an initiative like the government’s meaningful use program.

There is no doubt that many healthcare providers feel they were left out of the game when it comes to meaningful use (MU).