Health IT News
FierceHealthIT covers advancements and challenges in health technology. Find news on meaningful use, EMRs, patient privacy and more. For more information and analysis on these topics, please visit our health care reports.
Health IT sales growth predicted to rise only slightly in 2012
Despite rising investments by venture capital firms, the health IT field as a whole is poised for no more than 5 to 10 percent growth this year, financial analysts who attended a panel discussion Read more...
GAO: Demanding docs to blame for medical device prices
Some hospitals pay thousands of dollars more than others for big-ticket medical devices, according to Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigators, The Wall Street Journal reported. From Read more...
Study: Computerized post-concussion tests overused for athletes
Computerized tests used to determine whether football players and other athletes can return to competition following a concussion aren't always reliable and arguably are relied upon too much, a study Read more...
Early ACO adopters reveal key IT lessons
The intrepid hospital and physician office pioneers leading the charge toward accountable care organizations have learned some key lessons about IT--its role, its limitations and its challenges. A Read more...
U of California students launch telehealth pilot for diabetes
After more than a year of development, a group of business students at University of California, Merced, are launching the first test of their Valley Telehealth Program. The pilot will focus on women Read more...
Inc. magazine schools Mayo, Cleveland Clinic in website design
The Cleveland Clinic goes straight to the front of the class for its website--but Mayo Clinic gets it knuckles rapped. In a "website smackdown," Inc. magazine examines the online presence of two Read more...
CIO: Approach ICD-10 with a positive attitude
In describing ICD-10 for a recent Hospitals & Health Networks commentary, Albert Oriol, chief information officer at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, says that healthcare executives "only Read more...
Study: CPOE can be used broadly for medical imaging
Despite the complexity associated with computerized physician order entry, such systems can be used on a broad scale by medical facilities to schedule medical imaging exams, a new study focused on Read more...
HHS reports progress on telehealth regulations
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services is making "significant progress" toward new and revised rules that would save the healthcare industry billions of dollars, including ones that will Read more...
State bill would force docs to check controlled substance database
Massachusetts legislators are voting today on a bill to require physicians to check a prescription-drug abuse database before prescribing pain meds. It's part of a larger statewide effort to rein in Read more...
Fitness apps out; virtual coaches in
Health and fitness apps and websites may be getting a bad rap these days, with many viewed as ineffective and unlikely to help users achieve long-term results. But add a "virtual coach" and you may Read more...
MGMA protests 5010-related payment delays, demands government action
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) sent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) a letter complaining that physician practices are having trouble getting paid because of Read more...
Flexibility from hospitals needed for data use to reach its potential
Information silos in healthcare settings are a primary reason why available data often isn't used to its fullest potential, concludes Russ Richmond, M.D., CEO of McKinsey Healthcare's Objective Read more...
Report: Data breaches from unencrypted devices up 525% in 2011
Healthcare organizations need to "serve as their own watchdog" to increase security and decrease data breaches, a new report from IT security audit firm Redspin concludes. The increase in "bring your Read more...
New online databases help patients find adverse event
Two health IT startups aim to help patients sift through the reams of adverse event data collected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a report today in the Wall Street Journal. Read more...
