Study: Majority of patients want EMRs
A new study from the Commonwealth Fund suggests that the majority of patients would like to see doctors move to electronic medical records, with many suggesting that EMRs would help to improve care
Satire looks slantwise at EMR vendors
Is your EMR certified by SEEDIE? How can you say you've done your job if your EMR doesn't meet the standards of the Society for Exorbitantly Expensive and Difficult to Implement EHRs? Just visit
E-prescribing's blemishes deserve airing
Don't get me wrong, I can understand the widespread excitement over e-prescribing. Here's a technology that is comparatively inexpensive, relatively affordable and likely to produce results quickly,
Case study: NM rolls out EMR to health clinics statewide
In September 2007, New Mexico's Department of Health implemented an EMR for New Mexico's 49 public health offices providing clinical services. Since then, health professionals have taken care of
National EMR adoption could cost $150B
How much will it cost to roll out and fully implement EMRs in all U.S. physicians' offices and hospitals? A whopping $150 billion spread over the next eight years, according to one health economics
Pentagon, VA health data sharing moves slowly
Despite working on the project for 10 years, the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs are still far from being able to share health data freely. However, they have begun sharing some data, with
MN to create EMRs for state employees
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) has announced that the state will create an EMR for all state employees as part of a larger push designed to give state consumers more control over their care. To
GA Blue plan sends benefit letters to wrong addresses
Last week, Georgia's largest health insurer concluded that it sent about 202,000 benefits letters containing personal and health information to the wrong addresses, courtesy of a systems error. Blue
SPOTLIGHT: Think tank says federal IT efforts are "poorly conceived"
How helpful will the federal government be in fostering health IT adoption? If it sticks to its current course, not very, according to a new analysis by the Heartland Institute. In the analysis, the
Health data portals prove costly--but worth the trouble
As FierceHealthIT readers know, building a portal that offers a unified view of clinical data is extremely challenging. Not only is it a monster systems integration project, but developers also need
TX Wal-Marts offer telemedicine clinics
In an interesting mashup of retail clinic and telemedical models, a group of Houston-based Wal-Marts will soon begin offering walk-in telemedical consults. The service is being offered by a
Trend: Physician online consult volume growing
As we've reported for more than a year, online physician consults via the Internet (sometimes known as "e-visits") are growing more popular over time. While some physicians are leery of conducting
Privacy should be #1 PHR priority, CCHIT committee says
While other issues matter, privacy should be the top priority in setting certification criteria for PHRs, according to a task force run by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information
Feds outline Medicare incentives for e-prescribing
Now that the Medicare bill has passed, a new set of e-prescribing incentives will soon be rolling out as well. This week, HHS leaders spelled out just how the incentives would work. The incentives
NC Blue plan paying MDs for e-prescribing
In a move that (we predict) is likely to become more common, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has begun offering cash bonuses to physicians who adopt e-prescribing technology. The health
SPOTLIGHT: Doctors posting video profiles online
Hoping to attract more patients from their websites, physicians are increasingly posting video profiles of themselves. The profiles typically include extra information on their credentials and give a
How one NC hospital grew its VoWiFi implementation
As part of preparations for our Voice over WiFi Webinar--which will take place
Medicare law offers IT incentives
Last week, physicians signed with relief as the threatened 10.6 percent Medicare cut was put on hold for 18 months despite a presidential veto. The bill didn't just protect physician reimbursement
Case study: Kaiser rethinks IT in building new hospital
Kaiser Permanente well along the way on its plans to build a new, 314-bed hospital in Fontana, CA--but this time, it hopes to do something different. Not only is Kaiser focused on building a green
VT funds EMR adoption with health plan tax
In a move which may be the first of its kind in the country, Vermont legislators have created a trust--funded by a quarterly tax on health plans--which will provide support for healthcare providers
