News

The key to health information security is in data security, and not necessarily the devices in which data is stored, according to Barbara Bartley, executive director of IT operations and information security officer at Montgomery, Ala.-based Baptist Health.

Despite federal incentives and penalties, as well as payer demands, for health data digitization, some providers continue to resist the trend. One health policy and ethics analyst aims to address why in a recent Hospital & Health Networks article.

Prioritize hiring in high-risk areas, create and maintain a robust referral program and network at industry conferences--those are among several strategies for recruiting and retaining hospital IT talent, says Mike Bunch, managing director of recruitment and fulfillment at CTG Health Solutions. 

Technology has always played a big part in providing and improving healthcare for U.S. soldiers, both at home and abroad. In this new special report, we detail several technology efforts geared toward enhancing care provided for veterans. Read the report

In a recent interview with FierceHealthIT, Intermountain Healthcare CIO Marc Probst talked about the need for data standards in healthcare and the challenges of meeting ICD-10.

Collaborative technology development efforts between providers and vendors likely will increase as the former continue search for new avenues to earn revenue, according to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center CIO Dan Drawbaugh.

Looking to improve care for patients suffering from multiple chronic diseases, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last week launched an online dashboard that gives researchers easy access to data on Medicare patients with more than one chronic condition. More than two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries fall into that category, according to CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner

You have to spend money to save money. On the face of it, that statement is counter-intuitive, but it's why the government has pumped millions into programs such as Meaningful Use, interoperability efforts, health data privacy and security and healthcare quality improvement. However, the sequestration cuts about to go into effect for some healthcare agencies and programs will allow the healthcare industry--and the government agencies that regulate and promote it--to test an alternate theory: To save money, you have to spend less money.

The American Telemedicine Association is spreading word that many Medicare recipients could lose coverage for telehealth benefits due to expected updates to federal urban/rural categorizations. The updates--delineations of Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas in 97 counties across 36 states--would realign populations in certain areas, which could impact "hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries.".