Despite differing opinions on health-care reform, there is general consensus on at least one critical issue: most everyone agrees it’s time for the country to get serious about electronic health records.
The government will make it easier for health care providers to get bonuses for using electronic health records, but the hospital industry says it still had concerns that too few facilities would qualify.
Doctors who “get on board” will be paid more by Medicare and Medicaid, beginning in 2011. But in 2016 the subsidies disappear and those still using paper risk sanctions, including reduced Medicare fees.
Advocates say adopting health information technology could improve care and save money. But putting a realistic number on those savings is a challenge.
Next year, 10s of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds will flow to doctors and hospitals to help them buy electronic medical record systems as part of the stimulus package.
By Rhonda L. Rundle – Kaiser Health News
First of an occasional series on health information technology.
Memphis, One of a Growing Number of Areas With a Health Information Exchange, Faces a Crucial Test: What Happens When the Initial Funding Runs Out?
MEMPHIS–When a 27-year-old pregnant woman arrived in the emergency department of a hospital complaining of severe abdominal [...]
Special Health IT Report:
Second of an occasional series on health information technology.
By Ann Carrns – Kaiser Health News
June 29, 2009
Fayetteville, Ark. – Dr. Marek Durakiewicz initially welcomed the opportunity to send prescriptions to drugstores electronically, using free computer equipment provided by a state pilot program.
The chief of staff at Hickman Community Hospital in Centerville, [...]
“Don’t assume your doctor has all the relevant information at his or her fingertips. Usually, in fact, the doctor does not.” — Dr. Carolyn Clancy
In this month’s column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, provides tips on how to make sure you can get information from your medical [...]
The Mayo Clinic has teamed up with Microsoft to offer a free, online personal health manager service where patients anywhere can store their medical information and receive health guidance individualized to their health status and based on the clinical expertise of the Mayo Clinic.
The system, called the Mayo Clinic Health Manager, will allow anyone, whether [...]
Drug and alcohol abuse on the rise in Washington state
“Abuse of drugs and alcohol is on the rise in Washington state, including one of the highest rates of nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers in the nation, according to the state Department of Social and Health Services,” the Associated Press reports in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
To [...]
The Web site Network World has a profile of Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center’s new $3.8 million wireless network that allows its staff to access patients’ electronic medical records wirelessly via 600 workstations, 400 laptops and 200 tablet PCs.
“The key benefit of the new setup is the mobility of information,” says Steve Horsley, IT director at Swedish, [...]
The consulting firm Milliman invites you to a town hall meeting focused on healthcare reform, specifically on electronic health records (EHRs) and how they might affect the next era in healthcare.
[Editor's note: Milliman provides consulting services on employee benefits, healthcare, investment, life insurance and financial services, and property and casualty insurance.]
Press Release:
Why EHRs? The biggest changes [...]
Invisible Families: The homeless you don't see
They squeeze in with relatives, couch surf with friends or camp out in cars. More families are quietly becoming homeless, driven to the edge by a lack of jobs and affordable housing. The Seattle Times and its local news partners tackle the topic together. Project home
E-Health Records: Seattle is ahead of the curve
Health News from the Seattle Times
