| Survey: Privacy compliance has declined Posted: 14 May 2006 01:56 AM PDT Three years after federal rules governing the privacy of patients' medical records went into effect, compliance seems to have declined for 6 percent, according to an annual survey conducted by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Read more about this at here.  |
| E-book: Making E-Health Work Posted: 14 May 2006 01:53 AM PDT E-Health has become an integral part of present-day healthcare delivery. With healthcare consumers, increasingly the focus of most health systems, the widespread implementation of health information and communications technologies offers cost-effective opportunities to meet their increasingly sophisticated healthcare needs.Bankix Systems Ltd has released its latest e-book. It is a 200-page in-depth analysis of the issues involved in "Making E-Health Work," the e-book's title. Read more about this e-book at here.  |
| Consumer tools: UCompareHealthCare Offers Free Reports on Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Physicians Posted: 11 Mar 2006 01:01 AM PST "UCompareHealthCare has just unveiled its Web site, ucomparehealthcare.com, which features free reports on the nation's nursing homes, hospitals and physicians to help consumers make informed healthcare decisions. I checked the web site and found it very informative for health consumers to help them make informed decision about their choices of doctors, hospitals and others." Read more about this at UCompareHealthCare  |
| Articles: Direct to Consumer: Women are a powerful, but untapped, audience Posted: 03 Feb 2006 12:04 AM PST "Women influence many family decisions—from choosing what's for dinner to selecting the medications their children take. In fact, nearly two-thirds of women are responsible for family healthcare decisions, according to a 2004 national survey conducted by Plan for Your Health. Many women also assume the care-giving role outside their nuclear families. Today's middle-aged woman may also look after her parents and in-laws too, often determining how long they can live on their own and how to best care for them. In addition, she often influences the important health decisions of grandchildren, co-workers, and friends." Read more at PharmExec.  |
| Consumer tools: Really Personal PHRs Posted: 27 Jan 2006 01:05 AM PST "If we're committed to fostering the adoption of personal health records, we should take a page out of the consumer marketing textbooks — not the primers of health IT marketers. This was my conclusion after attending a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Markle Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Agency for Healthcare Quality Research and Quality. " Read more about this at iHealthBeat .  |
| Consumer trends: Manhattan Predicts Online Health Trends Posted: 27 Jan 2006 12:06 AM PST "US healthcare specialist Manhattan Research has published a summary of the major trends for health and pharmaceutical marketers to consider in 2006. The trends chart the increased use of the web and other new technologies as a health information and communication tool for both patients and physicians." Read more at Daily Research News Online.  |
| News: Wall Street Journal Looks at Tools That Identify Low-Cost Care Options Posted: 26 Jan 2006 01:07 AM PST "The Wall Street Journal on Thursday looked at efforts by insurers to provide patients with tools - including a cell phone Web browsing service - to help them find low-cost treatment options. Lumenos, a unit of WellPoint, in February will launch the cell phone service, which lets patients type drug names into their cell phones' Web browsers and get lists of lower-cost alternatives. The program is designed so that patients can ask their physicians about cost-effective alternatives while they still are at their appointments." Read more at iHealthBeat.  |
| Consumer tools: Consumer Health Complete Now Available from EBSCO Publishing Posted: 25 Jan 2006 12:09 AM PST "In continuing with the company's goal of providing the most comprehensive collection of online health and wellness resources, EBSCO Publishing has announced the release of Consumer Health Complete (CHC). This full text database is designed to support consumer and patients' information needs as well as foster an overall understanding of health-related topics." Read more at Managing Information News.  |
| HealthPartners to Study EMR Use in Lowering Heart Disease Posted: 29 Jun 2010 09:04 AM PDT A HealthPartners Research Foundation team has received a National Institutes of Health research grant to develop and implement an electronic health record (EHR)-based clinical decision support system to help reduce patients' risk of heart attack or stroke. The team is being led by Patrick O’Connor, MD, MPH, and has received $3.7 million to conduct the five year study. The team, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, will engineer a point-of-care system that identifies and prioritizes evidence-based treatment options for patients at moderate to high risk for a heart attack or stroke within 10 years. With HealthPartners physicians, they will test its effect on risk in a randomized trial that includes 18 primary care clinics, 60 primary care physicians and 18,000 patients. If successful, this approach will reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke for about 35 percent of adults in the United States and maximize the clinical return on investment for electronic health record systems. It could also be a model for using electronic health record technology to deliver personalized medicine in primary care settings. Bloomington, Minn.-based HealthPartners began implementing electronic medical records in 1997 with success. HealthPartners and Regions Hospital have a total of 3.5 million electronic medical records that can be accessed at all HealthPartners Clinics, Regions Hospital, five HealthPartners Urgent Care clinics and other locations.  |
| KLAS: One in Three Providers Unsatisified with Cardiology IT Posted: 29 Jun 2010 08:24 AM PDT A new KLAS report finds that cardiovascular information system (CVIS) software is a major source of frustration for healthcare provider organizations. Thirty percent of respondents are considering replacing their CVIS software because of problems with product functionality and integration. The report, titled Cardiology IT: Has the industry missed a beat? , is based on interviews with 371 provider organizations that shared their experiences with a dozen CVIS software vendors. With the exception of Digisonics and Phillips, every vendor in the study received a lower client-satisfaction score than they did in the 2009 report, resulting in one of the lowest-rated market segments KLAS monitors. The KLAS report notes that while providers praise some integrated systems, and recognize others offer broad solutions, few providers can point to any one vendor as delivering an “ultimate package.” Among the 10 vendors fully rated in the KLAS report, Digisonics earned the highest performance score of 83.6 out of 100 with its DigiView product, followed by Philips Xcelera at 75.4 and Merge VERCIS (AMICAS) at 72.3.  |
| Honor Society of Nursing and Caring International Research Collaborative Announce Partnership Posted: 29 Jun 2010 07:19 AM PDT The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) board of directors has announced the Caring International Research Collaborative (CIRC) will become part of STTI’s international professional community. As a STTI community, CIRC will be able to network through an online platform with members, connecting with others who have similar interests and goals. CIRC members are scientists, educators, administrators and direct-care providers, who work in “sharing groups” to research how caring, healing, relationship-based care and organizational variables influence patients and their families. The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the learning, knowledge, and professional development of nurses. Founded in 1922, STTI has inducted more than 400,000 members in 86 countries  |
| John Glaser to Become Siemens CEO Posted: 28 Jun 2010 07:21 AM PDT Partners HealthCare System Vice President and CIO John Glaser will become CEO of Siemens Health Services Division in mid-August. This announcement came last week from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), where Glaser is a founding chairman. Glaser just recently completed a six-month advisory role with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), working alongside David Blumenthal, M.D. to carry out the HIT provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In his new role at Siemens, Glaser will lead the company’s global healthcare IT business, including product development, strategy, portfolio management, financial performance, and overall customer satisfaction. At Siemens, he will leade more than 4,500 employees, multiple health information system brands, a Global Services arm, and Siemens' Information Systems Center. “As the HITECH Act continues to place the spotlight on CIOs, there is growing recognition of the key leadership abilities they possess,” said CHIME President and CEO Rich Correll in a press release. “Bringing CIOs into top positions with the industry’s product and services providers will certainly serve to strengthen the relationship between the two in order to offer more efficient, effective healthcare delivery.”  |
| BCBS of Michigan Designates 1,800 Physicians in Patient Centered Medical Home Program Posted: 28 Jun 2010 03:04 AM PDT Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has designated more than 1,800 physicians in approximately 500 practices across the state as Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), creating the largest PCMH effort in the nation. The number of designated physicians grew from 1,200 designated PCMH physicians in 2009. In the Patient-Centered Medical Home, primary care physicians (pediatricians, internists and family practice doctors) lead care teams that bring focus to their patients' individual health goals and needs. PCMH teams coordinate patients' health care using registries to track patients' conditions, offering extended access to the care team, coordinating complementary care — such as nutrition counseling — and helping patients learn to self manage conditions such as asthma and diabetes. Preliminary data shows that PCMH-designated doctors are succeeding in managing their patients' care to keep them healthy and prevent complications that require expensive medical services to treat. For example, a review of data shows that PCMH practices have a 2 percent lower rate of adult radiology usage than non-PCMH practices, and PCMH practices have a 2.6 percent lower rate of adult inpatient admissions than non-PCMH practices. About 5,000 primary care doctors in Michigan are working toward designation as PCMH practices by transforming how their practices deliver health care services to patients.  |
| Emdeon Acquires Chapin Posted: 24 Jun 2010 10:33 AM PDT Nashville, Tenn.-based Emdeon Inc. , a provider of healthcare revenue and payment cycle management solutions, today announced the acquisition of Chapin Revenue Cycle Management, LLC . Based in Tampa, Fla., Chapin is a technology-enabled provider of hospital-based revenue cycle services including accounts receivable management, medical denials, appeals and collection improvement initiatives. Chapin utilizes a proprietary contract management system built for rapid and precise calculations of reimbursement amounts from all types of healthcare payers and contract arrangements. By leveraging this technology and Chapin's experience in outsourced hospital revenue cycle management services, Emdeon plans to offer an added service layer designed to enhance the financial performance of institutional healthcare providers across its network. Consideration for the transaction was $18.9 million paid at closing, comprised of $16.2 million in cash and $2.7 million in restricted shares of Emdeon Class A common stock, plus additional contingent payments totaling up to $8.1 million to be paid in additional restricted shares of Emdeon Class A common stock. The contingent payments will be paid based upon the attainment of financial performance objectives of the acquired business from the closing through the end of 2012.  |
| Study Finds Electronic Pill Bottle Promising Posted: 24 Jun 2010 07:37 AM PDT The Boston-based Center for Connect Health , a division of Partners Healthcare , have announced initial findings of a medication adherence study which used a wireless electronic pill bottle to remind patients with high blood pressure to take their medication. The ongoing study measured a 27% higher rate of medication adherence in patients using Internet connected medication packaging and feedback services compared to controls. The randomized controlled study assessed the impact of the wireless GlowCap developed by Vitality, Inc . GlowCaps fit popular pill bottles and signal patients with light and sound when it is time to take the medication inside. An embedded wireless connection enables the GlowCap to respond to the patient with automated calls for any missed dose, weekly progress reports, and refill reminders. GlowCaps also share adherence with physicians and a social network if the patient chooses. In total, one hundred and thirty nine patients diagnosed with hypertension and taking an antihypertensive medication were enrolled in a six month study starting in August 2009. Each participant was randomized into one of three groups: those in the control group did not receive any communication or GlowCap services; the intervention group received visual and audio reminders from the GlowCap as well as missed dose reminder phone calls, medication refill reminders and progress reports emailed to the patient, family member and /or their primary care provider. Participants in an intervention-plus group additionally received a financial incentive if they exceeded a monthly adherence goal of 80%. Three month interim analysis shows study participants in the intervention and intervention-plus group achieved adherence rates of 98% and 99%, respectively. This was significantly higher than the control group, which had an adherence rate of 71%. The study is also measuring blood pressure control and subject satisfaction. Final analysis of the study is anticipated this fall.  |
| Doctors funding anti-Scott campaign Posted: 6/29/2010 © Orlando Sentinel Even though Rick Scott is a health-care executive, much of the money fueling an ad campaign against him is from two South Florida doctors who support Scott's opponent in the Republican primary for governor. The Florida Medical Association has also endorsed his opponent.  |
| Doctors, lawyers work together Posted: 6/29/2010 © Florida Times-Union Through the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership, doctors and lawyers collaborate to help patients like Gina York, who needed legal status to make medical decisions for her adult autistic son.  |
