Quality and Safety
When it comes to following recommended processes for patient care the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system outperforms the private sector, according to a recent report. Report authors cite the use of information technology as a possible reason.
The healthcare industry is spending an estimated $6 billion annually on data breaches of patient information, according to the latest benchmark study by Ponemon Institute. Protecting patient data is a low priority, the study concludes.
University of Utah Health Care, recently rated the top U.S. academic medical center by the University HealthSystem Consortium, has installed TransferCenter software, from Pittsburgh-base TeleTracking, to speed patient transfers and provide specialty care more quickly to those who need it most.
Epocrates, Inc., announced Thursday a partnership with Covisint, a Compuware Company, that aims at helping doctors get paid for quality reporting.
AT&T on Thursday announced a new practice area and portfolio of specialized services that seek to harness IT to help improve patient care and reduce medical costs nationwide.
ECRI Institute has been awarded a multi-year contract from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to establish the first national Healthcare Horizon Scanning System. The new system will identify and monitor new healthcare technologies that promise significant impact on patient care and health outcomes.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants industry help in digitizing clinical quality measures so healthcare providers can send them to CMS directly from their electronic health record systems.
A survey conducted by Emerson Network Power on IT and facility issues inside hospitals has shown that budget, power requirements and availability are top concerns - and that, given the mission-critical nature of healthcare IT, hospitals are increasingly dependent on technology to operate and serve patients.
Huron Consulting Group has acquired Click Commerce, a Beaverton, Ore.-based provider of technology and professional services to academic medical centers and research institutions. Huron hopes the purchase will bolster its higher education and healthcare research technology portfolio for clients.
IBM has created a new Federal Community Cloud designed to help government organizations, such as the Department of Health & Human Services, respond to technology requirements more quickly and at lower cost.