Technology

A new report published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology has drawn a mixed picture of oncology care in the United States-reduced mortality, increased survivors, and progress in treatment coupled with unsustainable costs and an unstable clinical setting.

In spite of a surge in telehealth-related policies, telehealth claims numbers remain low, according to an analysis of private payer reimbursements to primary care providers for telehealth services from 2009 to 2013.

Improved health technologies will help physicians better monitor patients with chronic conditions so that those patients can receive more effective care and will help build a bridge between what has been reported as effective in literature and applying it to the patient, explained Lonny Reisman, MD, founder and CEO of HealthReveal.

Integrated approaches using electronic health records, clinical decision support, and patient-controlled technologies may help improve the appropriate use of medication as well as the management of type 2 diabetes.

21st Century Oncology has informed patients that their patient database was compromised late last year.

Just how safe is the cloud and can we trust online software to keep sensitive medical billing data secure from a breach?

Flatiron Health seeks to use data to prevent the patient experience from being lost.

After being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer, Jack Whelan has used his electronic connections to be more involved in his care.

Health technology innovations are transforming the way healthcare is being delivered, but there remain a variety of barriers when it comes to sharing data, said Eric C. Schneider, MD, MSc, senior vice president for policy and research at The Commonwealth Fund.

Major health information technology (IT) developers and the government are coming together to improve the flow of health information.

A large Hollywood hospital was hit with a catastrophe straight out of its own Hollywood movie last month, when a malware attack on its internal network led to a system-wide shutdown. The attack is part of a growing pandemic hitting health systems.

As millions of patients nationwide increasingly gain access to clinicians’ notes, explicit e-mail invitations to review notes may be an important link in fostering patient engagement and patient-doctor communication, according to a new study.

The online tool includes worksheets for the most commonly used cancer treatment protocols that care providers can directly access through the electronic health record.

Population health, healthcare value, innovations in healthcare, cost of care-these were just some of the topics discussed at the meeting.

Patient's whose complete hospital treatment was captured by an electronic health record were up to 30% less likely to experience in-hospital adverse events.

What we're reading, February 16, 2016: Affordable Care Act enrollment for 2016 is far below initial estimates; healthcare record hacks increased 11,000% in 2015; and genetic testing hasn't seen wide adoption among consumers.

At the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, introduced Cancer MoonShot, his vision for a coalition to improve cancer outcomes. His claims on federal support for the project, however, stirred some controversy.

Julia Adler-Milstein, PhD, explains the importance of technology as a supporting factor in healthcare delivery, saying that it will enable patients to access their data and become more involved in their healthcare.

Widespread adoption of telemedicine has not been documented, and a session at the 2016 National Health Policy Conference hosted by AcademyHealth addressed some of the current challenges.

What we're reading, February 5, 2016: new legislation could expand the use of telehealth under Medicare; Massachusetts finds its physicians only screen for depression half the time; and Martin Shkreli pleads the Fifth during most of his testimony before Congress.

What we're reading, January 26, 2016: Republicans will use Congressional Budget Office report to justify steep spending cuts; Centene has misplaced 950,000 files of personal health information; and the US is facing a troublesome shortage of geriatricians.

What we're reading, January 19, 2016: the Obama administration is looking to make it easier for patients to access their medical records; a clinical trial has left 1 brain dead and 4 hospitalized; and hospitals are experimenting with mobile technologies to track patient health at home.

What we're reading, January 18, 2016: even if there is no drug price control legislation, pharmaceutical companies may bow to political pressure; study finds physician-led hospitals perform better; and Twitter can be used to obtain the patient perspective on medical errors.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Health Catalyst will join their technologies and personnel in order to help health systems measure the real cost of healthcare delivery per patient.

The largest US hospitals are hardly using hospital-based mobile apps, and are thus missing opportunities to engage patients.