HIE execs' squabble leads to ban on connectivity fees
A heated exchange between chief executives of two health exchanges in Kansas led to the board that regulates them to decree that networks cannot charge each other connectivity fees until at least 2015.
Next-gen storage aims to keep up with health data explosion
Healthcare providers are swamped in data, leaving them searching for effective storage solutions even as the amount of data continues to explode.
For accurate heart attack detection, linked EHRs are key
Failure to use patients' linked electronic health records may lead to biased estimates of heart attack incidence and outcome, according to a new study.
Department of Defense identifies potential EHR vendors
The Department of Defense, which announced earlier this week that it will look to the commercial market for an electronic health record system instead of developing one based on the Department of Veterans Affairs' VistA system, has identified 20 vendors it thinks are capable of meeting its EHR needs.
With risky symptoms, patients don't use portals
Content on health websites often too complex for patients
If you feel like you're lost in a sea of jargon when navigating healthcare-related websites, you're not alone. A new research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine assesses readability of patient education resources found online, determining that such materials often are too complex for their intended audience.
Tornado underscores importance of disaster planning, redundancy
The massive tornado that ripped through Moore, Okla., this week reiterates the importance for hospitals not only to have a disaster plan, but also to ensure redundancy and backup of essential systems and records.
E-mail effective for treating anxiety
E-mail therapy was found to be effective for treating anxiety patients, according to a trial of 62 patients conducted by professor Nazanin Alavi, M.D., of King's University in Ontario.
Security, regulatory challenges persist for medical devices
No single entity, healthcare delivery organization, manufacturer or technology company can mitigate all the risks that security threats pose to healthcare data, according to Dale Nordenberg, M.D., executive director of the Medical Device Innovation, Safety and Security Consortium.
ED computer simulations don't focus enough on physician relationships
In a study published online this week in BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, researchers set out to present an alternative simulation approach, where physicians and their delegates in the ED are "modeled as pseudo-agents in a discrete event simulation." They then compared the new model with a traditional approach, which focuses more on patients than providers.
Colorado to pilot telemedicine for inmates
The Colorado Department of Corrections and Denver Health Medical Center are gearing up for the launch next month of a telemedicine pilot for treating inmates.
Deloitte's Harry Greenspun: As data goes digital, CIO security challenges grow
Deloitte Center for Health Solutions technology specialist Harry Greenspun wants to let healthcare CIOs know they're about to have their hands full, yet again; as they gather more data, he says, they must secure it, as well.
Online pharmacist care helps hypertensives sustain lower BP
Web-based pharmacist care is an effective method for helping hypertensive patients to sustain low blood pressure, according to research published online this week in JAMA Internal Medicine.
CCHIT: Interoperability breakthrough near
The healthcare industry is on the verge of a breakthrough in interoperability as "plug and play" capability becomes more than a dream, according to a whitepaper published by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT).
WEDI brings together state collaborative organizations on ICD-10
By all accounts, a majority of organizations are behind schedule in implementing ICD-10 and the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) is doing something about that. The group this week launched a new initiative to bring together state collaborative organizations to help reduce the time and cost for implementation, as well as to bring greater efficiencies to the process.
Request for data on Boston Marathon bombing victims draws privacy protests
An attempt to collect information on patients treated during the Boston bombings by the city's Public Health Commission for disaster preparedness and response planning purposes is being treated as a potential HIPAA violation.
Marin General Hospital on the right path to fix CPOE safety issues
Fixing IT safety issues goes beyond training and board meetings and union action, as providers at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, Calif., are showing.
Hospital workers spending too much time on Facebook
In a new study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, researchers who set out to determine the impact personal Internet use has on acute clinical settings discovered that Facebook took up a substantial amount of staff time in an observation period.
Analytics will be the 'nervous system' of ACOs
A new report from the Institute of Health Technology Transformation (iHT2) resonates a familiar theme: Analytics are the key to population health management and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).
State Medicaid anti-fraud units to use federal funds for data mining
A new rule from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of the Inspector General allows states to use federal funds for data mining in their fight against Medicaid fraud.
