Technology

Karen DeSalvo, MD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, said that while patients expect their medical records to be confidential, they are open to information sharing so long as it leads to improvements in their health or the health of others. Moreover, as Dr DeSalvo reveals, many patients expect their medical records to be digitized.

With the speed at which technology advances, it can be surprising that the majority of US medical records are not yet available electronically - but the nation is gradually making the transition to great electronic health record (EHR) use.

Health technology and electronic health-record powerhouse Cerner Corp. is spending $1.3 billion to purchase Siemens Health Services, Siemens' health information technology business, Cerner announced Tuesday.

Two of California's largest health insurers are partnering to create a massive database of patient medical records.

Len Nichols, PhD, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics (CHPRE) and a professor of Health Policy at George Mason University, says that transparency in healthcare is an important concept.

Text messaging might just be the next best thing in patient engagement-at least according to the results of 1 organization's pilot program.

The University of Buffalo is working to limit patient readmissions to hospitals and ERs via use of dashboard technology.

Dr. Vojta emphasized the importance of analyzing existing good patient data to improve care outcomes.

Information technology will be crucial to pushing disease prevention efforts in healthcare.

It's easy to get swept up in the swelling enthusiasm for using the explosion in electronic health and claims records to improve every aspect of healthcare. But the era of "big data" isn't going to happen without better federal rules for stimulating its uses and preventing abuses.

Operations and maintenance, plus services segments lead growth.

The authors examine the association between advanced electronic health record (EHR) use and cost in hospitals. Patients treated in hospitals with advanced EHRs cost 9.66% less.

Adherence is important to improving the health outcomes of patients with diabetes. Health technology and digital tools are just on way providers are encouraging patients to remain consistent with the treatment regimens.

Smart watches, mHealth apps, and Bluetooth scales may just be edging into the social consciousness as a viable way to monitor personal health and manage chronic diseases, but EHR developers have been eyeing these technologies for some time, seeing them as valuable tools in the struggle to engage patients, prevent unnecessary readmissions, reduce costs, and promote long-term health.

Despite reform and shifts in health policy, the United States healthcare system ranked last in quality compared with 10 other industrialized counties-just as it did in 2010, 2007, 2006, and 2004.

The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) outlined a 10-year plan that will strengthen the nation's health IT infrastructure by 2024. This interoperable system would promote a "continuous learning" environment that would enforce higher-quality data standards, improve population health, better engage patients, and lower care delivery costs.

Some 59 percent have received meaningful use Stage 1 incentives.

Personal health information may be key to reducing the costs of care. To work most efficiently, patient participation and compliance will be necessary.

Health insurance exchanges continue to be a work in progress, at least for several states that are facing ongoing challenges. In particular, 5 states-Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, and Oregon-estimate that it will cost $240 million to fix their existing exchanges, or to transition to using the federal exchange.

Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) have increased their EHR adoption by 133% over the past four years, says a report from The Commonwealth Fund, with 93% of FQHCs in possession of an EHR and 85% of these community provider organizations reporting advanced HIT capabilities.

A CMS proposal could extend the deadline for providers to transition to Stage 2 meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). Agency officials said they have received extensive feedback from health providers who felt they did not have enough time to efficiently transition their EHR systems.