Read more →
 
 

3rd mHealth Networking Conference March 30-31, 2011

Concerns, fears, expectations, and hopes are widespread regarding FDA regulation of mobile devices. Through dialogue and collaboration with the FDA, the mHealth Regulatory Coalition (MRC) is addressing development of new policies about and approaches to medical device regulation that factor in the impact of rapidly accelerating mobile and wireless technology developments. Whether you are a user, an IT specialist, a developer, a vendor, or other healthcare stakeholder, you need to [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

What is the Best mHealth Strategy for You?

We can all agree smart phone adoption is rapidly increasing, and following close behind is the market of mobile health services. With more than 10,000 health apps in the Apple iPhone store alone, it’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. Many pharma marketing executives are scratching their heads wondering, “What is the best mobile health solution for my company?” Mobile health is something different to everyone. It’s not one size [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

Medical Transcription Becomes Clinical Documentation

Written by: John Neil already broke the news a few weeks ago that the MTIA (Medical Transcription Industry Association) changed its name to the CDIA (Clinical Documentation Industry Association). I was able to attend the press event that they held to officially announce the change. I’m sure that many might not think this is such a big deal. Ok, the name change isn’t that big of a deal. However, I’d [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

OCR Plans to Tighten Up HITECH Privacy, Security, Breach Regs

The HHS Office for Civil Rights plans to uses to powers authorized under the HITECH Act to tighten up a host of security and privacy requirements, as well as exponentially increase the financial penalties for HIPAA privacy and security violations. Adam Greene, senior health IT and privacy advisor in the OCR, outlined a slew of changes to existing regulations. The final HITECH privacy, security and breach notification rules will arrive [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

Understanding EHR Certification

There’s a good chance the federal incentive funding has encouraged you to finally invest in an EHR. But not just any old EHR. Don’t forget that to qualify for that cash, you have to select — and meaningfully use — certified EHR technology. But what does that really mean, “certified EHR technology?” There is considerable confusion around the phrase, as practices try to understand what’s considered certified under the federal [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

OCR Plans to Tighten Up HITECH Privacy, Security, Breach Regs

The HHS Office for Civil Rights plans to uses to powers authorized under the HITECH Act to tighten up a host of security and privacy requirements, as well as exponentially increase the financial penalties for HIPAA privacy and security violations. Adam Greene, senior health IT and privacy advisor in the OCR, outlined a slew of changes to existing regulations. The final HITECH privacy, security and breach notification rules will arrive [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

EHRs can help researchers track newborns treated for disorders

By Kathryn Foxhall The child health center of the National Institutes of Health said it is critical to make available in electronic medical records information on testing and treatment of certain disorders in newborns. All states require babies to have some level of “newborn screening,” the testing of blood drops taken from the babies’ heals, for multiple disorders for which early treatment can prevent death, disability or mental retardation. Although [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

Surescripts, AAFP will provide physicians direct information exchange

Surescripts, AAFP will provide physicians direct information exchange

 

Read more →
 
 

President's Budget Challenge: Show Fiscal Discipline While Funding Health Law's Implementation

President Barack Obama’s budget plan includes a two-year Medicare “doc-fix” that uses heavy cuts in other health payments to stave-off a scheduled 25 percent reduction in Medicare physician reimbursements. Meanwhile, news outlets also report the plan “avoids” tackling entitlement spending. The Washington Post: Obama To Offer $3.7 Trillion Budget Blueprint President Obama will roll out a $3.7 trillion budget blueprint Monday that would trim or terminate more than 200 federal programs next year and [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

Obama’s Medicare 'Doc Fix' Under Fire

By Mary Agnes Carey and Christopher Weaver KHN Staff Writers Critics quickly pounced on President Barack Obama’s proposal to head off scheduled cuts in Medicare payments to doctors, saying his funding method would cause serious problems. In his fiscal 2012 budget plan released Monday, Obama proposed a two-year, $54 billion solution to stop the payment cuts, which otherwise would go into effect Jan. 1. To finance what insiders call the [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

Yale New Haven Health System plans $250M EHR system

Plans are underway to deploy an EHR system at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut by 2012. The deployment is part of a bigger project at Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) that aims at linking its hospitals, community physicians, patients and caregivers. Greenwich Hospital, a 174-bed community teaching hospital, is expected to be the first to go live with the EHR system, which will integrate patient information across YNHHS with the [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

Study: Most Americans support EMRs

Seventy-eight percent of Americans favor the use of electronic medical records, according to a recent study by NORC at the University of Chicago, an independent research organization. The study was published in the February edition of the journal HSR: Health Services Research. Researchers say this report is different because most previous studies of EMRs have focused on the attitudes of clinicians or health organizations. Surprisingly few have focused on the [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

ARRA Stimulus Package: $20 Billion for Healthcare IT, $4.3 Billion for Smart Grid Technology

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), recently signed into law by President Obama, provides welcome news to technology suppliers who are facing a 0.1 percent 2009 U.S. growth rate, according to new research from IDC’s Industry Insights Companies. “With all the uncertainty surrounding the specifics of the new economic stimulus package, one thing is certain – there will be a large amount of government money flowing towards technology spending,” said IDC’s [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

Outsourcing Your Medical Transcription ServicesServices

Whether you are a hospital entity, a doctor or a patient that needs Medical Transcription Services, the internet is a viable means for outsourcing such a service. What is medical transcription? Medical transcription is a process that involves conversion of voice or audio reports into written texts for better documentation and reporting purposes. This kind of medical services is indeed very necessary in any hospital unit, and as such, most [...]

 

Read more →
 
 

Revise unfair e-prescribing penalty

The AMA and others in organized medicine say doctors need more time to comply with a CMS regulation that levies charges for not prescribing electronically.