Healthcare IT News | Meaningful use, EHRs, ICD-10, HIE, NHIN, policy, big data and more

URAC standards put to the test May 17, 2013 | Bernie Monegain, Editor

Beta users try out new clinical integration measures

Several organized physician groups are beta testing URAC's new clinical integration accreditation program standards. The independent standards organization created the new program to serve as a road map for health providers to achieve clinical integration and accountable care. By earning URAC accreditation, providers will demonstrate they are delivering improved patient care and reducing costs. More

May17

Senate confirms Tavenner as CMS chief May 16, 2013 | Tom Sullivan, Editor, Government Health IT

Response from healthcare stakeholders upbeat

Marilyn Tavenner's confirmation as official administrator of CMS immediately drew positive reactions from nearly every corner of the industry and government, as several healthcare stakeholders reacted to the 91-7 landslide Senate vote that took place late Wednesday. Tavenner is the first administrator in nine years to receive Senate confirmation. More

May16

Millennials fancy healthcare, tech jobs May 15, 2013 | Bernie Monegain, Editor

Eight healthcare organizations landed on list of 25 choice places to work

Healthcare and technology jobs have the most appeal to Generation Y, according to the sixth annual Millennial Career Survey, published May 13 by the National Society of High School Scholars, an international honor society organization based in Atlanta. More

May15

Mostashari urges healthcare change May 14, 2013 | Tom Sullivan, Editor, Government Health IT

ONC chief offers three inspirations for transformation

"It's systems that let ordinary people do extraordinary things," national coordinator for health IT Farzad Mostashari, MD said during a Health IT Policy Committee meeting talk that vice chair Paul Tang described immediately afterward as "inspiring and challenging." More

May14

UPMC data centers go green with wind May 13, 2013 | Mike Miliard, Managing Editor

Credits equivalent to 15,400,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity

UPMC announced May 12 that it is the first health system in Pennsylvania to commit to the purchase of wind power energy credits equal to its data facilities' annual energy usage. More

May13

5 questions with ATA president Ed Brown May 10, 2013 | Bernie Monegain, Editor

'Telemedicine must be a part of all healthcare initiatives'

American Telemedicine Association President-Elect Ed Brown, MD is the founder and CEO of Ontario Telemedicine Network in Canada. Healthcare IT News caught up with him at the recent ATA conference in Austin, Texas, to talk with him about the state of telemedicine and what he envisions it will be in the coming years. More

May10

Hospitals show scant progress on safety May 09, 2013 | Bernie Monegain, Editor

Leapfrog scores 780 hospitals 'A' and 16 hospitals 'F'

An update to the Hospital Safety Score that assigns grades "A" through "F" to more than 2,500 hospitals in the United States shows they have made only incremental progress in addressing errors, accidents, injuries and infections that kill or hurt their patients. The Leapfrog Group, a hospital watchdog group, conducts the surveys. More

May09

EHR incentive payments surge to $13.7B May 08, 2013 | Tom Sullivan, Editor, Government Health IT

Nearly half of eligible professionals have registered for MU

Continuing the upward trajectory of EHR reimbursements flowing out into the healthcare industry, CMS said on Tuesday morning that the total paid as of March's end is more than $13.7 billion. More

May08

Telemedicine shows ROI at ATA May 07, 2013 | Mike Miliard, Managing Editor

'You can make a little money,' UPMC surgeon shows

Ironically, Andrew Watson's first telemedicine procedure was with a rural patient who was a Mennonite. At first, the patient and physician looked at each other warily. More

May07

CHIME seeks Stage 2 delay, defends MU May 06, 2013 | Erin McCann, Associate Editor

Responds to Senators skeptical of health IT's progress

Responding to a feedback request from Senators on Capitol Hill regarding health IT adoption, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives called for a one-year pushback of the Stage 2 meaningful use deadline and defended the efficacy of the federal incentive program. More

May06

Today’s Headlines

LSU database gaffe leads to HIPAA breach Siemens Healthcare and Louisiana State University are notifying 8,330 patients of a HIPAA breach following a database mishap that resulted in billing and treatment information being mailed to the... More	RCM more important than ever Healthcare organizations will need to be more effective, cost efficient and productive in the future to not only survive, but also to maintain positive cash flows, according to Brian Fugere, COO of... More
Bed management IT new 'hot market' Bed management software applications have witnessed record growth rates over the past five years and are considered the new hot market for vendors and providers to watch, according to the findings of... More	ONC launches apps challenge The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is launching the Crowds Care for Cancer: Supporting Survivors Challenge in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute as... More
Public PHR portal in works for New York The New York eHealth Collaborative has announced the winners of its personal health record portal challenge, with the designs in turn expected to inform the PHR that NYeC will offer all New Yorkers... More	IDC launches ACO roadmap With recognition that "the path through accountable care is unknown," IDC Health Insights has launched a new Accountable Care Maturity Model, designed to help healthcare organizations gauge... More