health affairs news from FierceHealthIT
NewsBlumenthal, Berwick call meaningful use a 'starting point' for a better health system
Two government officials who have been at the forefront of health IT implementation and quality improvement for years call last month's publication of the standards for "meaningful use" of EHRs a Read more...
Patients who email their doctors are healthier, Kaiser study finds
Patients who take advantage of secure patient-physician email options offered by their doctor are more likely to experience healthy outcomes, according to a recent study published in the journal Read more...
Study: VA nets $3B in savings from health IT investment
Investments in health IT produced a net savings of $3.09 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs between 1997 and 2007, according to a new study. The technology also produced measurable gains Read more...
Report: Digital games have role in improving health outcomes
Increasingly, digital games are becoming an important tool in helping patients get better. And that's only likely to become more the case as time goes on, according to Carleen Hawn, editor of Read more...
Federal bill would promote health IT standardsA member of the federal House of Representatives has introduced a new bill which ask an arm of the government to develop health integration standards for the U.S. The bill, filed by U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), would authorize the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create guidelines and mechanisms for smoothing the HIT integration process. Gordon was spurred, in part, by a 2005 Health Affairs study which found that the health system could save $77 billion … Read more...Pentagon, VA say EMRs are years awayWhile it might help the agencies free up resources to care for injured soldiers, it could be years before the Pentagon and the VA will be able to install a shared care management system. That's the word from senior officials, including assistant defense secretary for health affairs Stephen Jones and VA acting principal undersecretary for health Gerald Cross. A presidential task force investigating poor outpatient treatment at the Walter Reed Army Medical … Read more...Study: Docs have trouble with e-prescribingE-prescribing is all the rage in government circles, with state governors, in particular, waxing rhapsodic over its benefits. But it seems that physicians aren't as comfortable with the concept as policymakers are. A new study published in Health Affairs has found that physicians who adopt e-prescribing technology have trouble with its advanced features, and what's more, aren't even sure … Read more...EHRs boost quality, raise costs at community clinicsElectronic health records certainly do help improve the quality of care at community health centers, but do not necessarily provide any financial benefits, a new study says. Writing in the January/February issue of Health Affairs, University of California, San Francisco, researchers Robert H. Miller and Chris West find that quality improvements from performance reports and point-of-care clinical reminders can be substantial, but of the six centers that participated in the study, … Read more...VA EHR project faces DOD oppositionUh-oh. What had looked like a full speed ahead innovative program just hit a speed bump. The Defense Department opposes congressional guidance to adopt the Department of Veterans Affairs' electronic health records (EHR) architecture or to use identical software platforms, data standards and data repositories, Dr. Stephen Jones, principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, wrote in a letter to Federal Computer Week. Jones' comments were contained in a letter … Read more...Research finds EMR benefits, savings unclearDon't rush off to spend all that money you expect to save on EMRs or electronic health records just yet. The jury is still out on whether they'll significantly reduce costs or improve care. This is according to a new paper in Health Affairs that argues that a literature review of studies on EHRs show that the technology can lead to increased billing, make doctors less productive and does not change provider-to-patient ratios. "Absent other fundamental interventions that alter … Read more... | Press ReleasesKaiser Permanente Named No. 1 Green-IT Organization by ComputerworldComputerworld recognizes organization for excellence in IT practices that benefit the environmentOAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente announced today that it ranks No.1 on Read more >> Eliminate Racial Health Disparities Through High-Quality Care for AllCommentary by Aetna Foundation President Anne Beal is Part of Special Issue of Health Affairs Devoted to Health Disparities HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Quality improvement methods in health Read more >> PFCD Commends Health Affairs for Confronting Costly Chronic DiseasesWASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today commended Health Affairs for its recognition of chronic disease and promotion of constructive policies and programs Read more >> Post & Schell Principal to Present to the National Press Club During Health Affairs Issue BriefingIndustry Veteran Robin Locke Nagele to Focus on the Increased Role of Hospital Boards Under the Affordable Care Act WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The law firm Post & Schell, P.C. today announced Read more >> Affordable Care Act cuts health care red tape, saves $12 billionCommon-sense measures will save money for doctors, patients and insurers WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took the first steps to implement Read more >> |
