The Health Information Technology Policy Committee, a federal advisory panel created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, met this morning in Washington for the first time and boiled down its initial work activities to three areas. After batting around ideas for creating as many as six work groups, the panel in the [...]
“Meaningful Use” should not be a mystery
May 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
NORWOOD, MA – If providers delay their acquisition of an EHR until the federal government issues a definition of “meaningful use,” they’re wasting valuable time. That’s the consensus of healthcare IT experts who regularly take the pulse of the Washington D.C. bureaucracy. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act sets aside $20 billion for direct funding [...]
White House Press Release “Coming together to bring down the cost of health care”
May 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Image by ~MVI~ via Flickr RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE BURDENING FAMILIES, BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENTS, AND THE ECONOMY: For years, rising health care costs have been a burden on families, businesses, and the entire economy. Since 2000, health insurance premiums have almost doubled and health care premiums have grown three times faster than wages. These rising [...]
Is EMR being forced on physicians before it’s ready?
May 11, 2009 By 4 Comments
Image by benuski via Flickr CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Health care providers across the country are moving to replace their old paper records with sleek new electronic systems, a process the Obama administration wants to speed along with more than $19 billion in stimulus money. That’s a tall order for doctors and hospitals, because an estimated [...]
Potential side effects to rapid EMR adoption
May 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Image by Getty Images via Daylife The push for electronic medical records, fueled by $19 billion from the federal stimulus package, seems urgent and clear; such technology will cut costs and save lives, backers say. But a growing body of research illustrates the potential challenges – from getting doctors to use the safety-enhancing features the [...]
EMR Adoption in Alaska will increase with Stimulus
May 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Image via Wikipedia Two bills just approved — one federal, one state — are expected to give Alaska’s seriously behind-the-times medical industry a giant push forward. Until now, doctors and hospitals have been creeping toward converting to electronic records and prescriptions. This move to electronic medicine is expected to produce faster, better, cheaper care. With [...]
Push is on to put medical records online in the Northwest
May 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Image via Wikipedia Those who grew up in the pre-Internet world can remember having little access to their credit reports. Today, consumers easily can check and understand their credit scores online. Similarly, access to health records has been shrouded in mystery. But Microsoft, Google and Inland Northwest Health Services in Spokane want to change that, [...]
