Genetic tests don't drive demand for follow-up care
New research published this week in the journal Genetics in Medicine suggests that patients who do undergo genetic testing aren't likely to demand abnormal levels of follow-up tests or other care.
MGMA wants 'staggered' ICD-10 implementation
In a letter sent this week to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, Medical Group Management Association President Susan Turney reiterates the organization's position from March that the ICD-10 process, as currently outlined, lacks several steps.
Should hospitals risk going broke for Meaningful Use?
Should officials at cash-strapped hospitals go all-in on electronic health record systems in hopes of receiving a big return via incentive dollars, even if it means spending beyond their means?
HL7 wants more doc participation in EHR standards creation
Experts get creative in protecting patient IDs in audit trails
A body that advises the state of Massachusetts about health information exchanges has devised an unusual approach to maintaining the privacy of patient information while allowing the use of audit trails.
FCC approves new wireless medical device channel
The Federal Communications Commission is poised to open two segments of the wireless spectrum for medical patient monitoring, chairman Julius Genachowski said in a press conference in Washington, D.C. this morning.
Radiology practice varies too widely, former teleradiologist says
The radiology industry has a unique opportunity to "biopsy" current practice to reduce variability in the practice--including image quality and how practitioners use imaging data, writes teleradiologist Richard Abramson in the May issue of Radiology.
Google ranks high for health research, but all search engines lacking
The top four search engines--Google, Bing, Ask.com and Yahoo!--provide rich health and medical information, but none of them stand out as the best, according to a new study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Hospitals enlist vendors for data analytics help
Providers are increasingly turning to big tech companies to help their data mining efforts, with vendors such as Microsoft, SAS, IBM and Oracle giving mounds of data the once-over in an analytics industry that generated more than $30 billion last year. Data-mining, however helpful, continues to raise concerns, however.
ONC expansion adds Chief Medical Officer, Office of Consumer eHealth
Clinical initiatives and consumer engagement are at the forefront of the latest expansion within the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
MGMA to CMS: Extend e-prescribing deadline to December
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to delay the reporting and hardship exemption deadline in CMS' e-prescribing program from June 30 to Dec. 31, 2012.
Kinect works toward degree in early autism diagnosis
Researchers at several universities--including the University of Minnesota, the California Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina--are playing around with Microsoft's Kinect sensors as part of some important work: finding ways to diagnose autism earlier.
Mostashari: Government should play booster role in health IT innovation
The government is no longer the main source of health IT innovation, Farzad Mostashari, M.D., the national coordinator for health information technology, told the Boston Globe earlier this week. But he outlined several ways it can--and should--encourage it.
Even opt-in doesn't protect data exchange privacy
The healthcare industry still has room for improvement when it comes to health information exchange privacy, even in states that have an opt-in or opt-out option.
HHS' Measurement Project presents comprehensive data on U.S. healthcare system
The Department of Health and Human Services has launched a web-based tool that makes it easier to find detailed U.S. healthcare industry data. The Health System Measurement Project "will allow policymakers, providers and the public to develop consistent data-driven views of changes in critical U.S. health system indicators," according to HHS.
Berwick: Meaningful Use still in its adolescence
The use of analytics in healthcare has potential, former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick, M.D. told HealthLeaders Media in a recent interview. According to Berwick, CMS trials with analytics adoption at Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory showed success with regard to the use of predictive analytics for fraud prevention.
Barriers to mainstream genetic tests remain
Although genome sequencing has shown promise as a tool for the type of preventive care that will be necessary for successful accountable care, several drawbacks--such as the potential for over-treatment--remain, according to a Wall Street Journal article.
AMA wants two-year delay of ICD-10
Docs should be wary of anti-kickback laws when implementing HIT
Despite the evolution of technology use in healthcare, anti-kickback laws governing arrangements for use of that technology have remained stagnant.
Public hospital association assails MU Stage 2 proposal
Nearly all (97 percent) of NAPH members plan to participate in both the Medicare and the Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs--well above the 74 percent of all hospitals that intend to participate. But NAPH members are more likely than other hospitals to be unable to meet the Meaningful Use criteria until fiscal year 2013, according to the report.
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