An electronic health record (EHR) stores all of an individual patient's information in electronic format. The record is maintained by the provider over time and may include the patient's medical history, current medications, demographics, doctor's notes and other important administrative information. Issues concerning EHRs include data exchange, privacy and security, and patient consent. The final rule for Meaningful Use, released on July 13, 2010, allows hospitals to qualify for thousands of dollars in stimulus funding for the adoption of electronic health records.
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Health Catalyst, a small, five-year-old company whose two founders have their roots at Intermountain Healthcare, is helping to improve clinical quality, and changing the cost structure for hospitals - big and small - across the country with its data-warehousing platform.
February 18, 2013
News
Two Stage 6 hospitals, one in Manhattan and the other in Honolulu - Mount Sinai Medical Center and Hawai'i Pacific Health - are due to pick up their 2012 Enterprise HIMSS Davies Awards of Excellence at the 2013 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans, March 3-7.
February 18, 2013
News
Already this year, healthcare providers have launched 106 new accountable care organizations (ACOs) that will reach as many as four million beneficiaries, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Jan. 10.
February 18, 2013
News
Family physicians are adopting electronic health records (EHRs) at a much faster rate than earlier data suggested, reaching a nearly 70 percent adoption rate nationwide, new study findings reveal.
February 18, 2013
News
A recent study by Weill Cornell Medical College shows how electronic health records can do much better when it comes to gauging the quality of patient care.
February 18, 2013
News
One thing I've learned in the government is that words matter, and sometimes, particularly in complicated or technical areas, it can be hard to use words that are precise and accurate. Sometimes we use the same term to apply to a broad range of concepts or ideas because it can be complicated to describe all the nuances captured by that work. Sometimes the words we use start out as verbs and then turn into nouns. Sometimes the names (and meanings) evolve over time. And sometimes the same words are used in different areas to mean entirely different things.
February 18, 2013
News
As National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Farzad Mostahari, MD, has, since 2011, led the government's efforts to transform the nation's healthcare structure into a 21st century digital system. The goals are to improve patient care, increase efficiencies and lower costs. Mostashari delivered a rousing keynote talk at HIMSS12, and he is slated as a headliner again this year (Thursday, March 7, at 8:30 a.m.).
February 18, 2013
News
The enhanced set of protections finalized in the omnibus HIPAA privacy and security rule released Jan.17 now becomes the new baseline for anyone who handles health information. It doesn't change meaningful use requirements, but together the two may drive more providers to protect patient data, according to privacy and security experts.
February 18, 2013
News
While the Department of Health and Human Services touts the popularity of the meaningful use incentive program - some 3,525 hospitals nationwide and 175,000 individual providers had successfully met Stage 1 requirements through the end of 2012 - news about EHRs has not been all rosy of late.
February 18, 2013
News
Physicians, IT professionals and technology vendors are more or less in agreement when it comes to the third and final leg of meaningful use: Let's build on our success so far, but move forward thoughtfully.
February 18, 2013
News
Healthcare IT insiders regard interoperability as the key to effective health information exchange, and some might say, the hardest to pin down thus far. Industry leaders agree there can be no true exchange without interoperability. How can healthcare transformation occur unless doctor A's EHR can process the information received from doctor B's EHR?
February 18, 2013
News
In a Jan. 14 letter to National Coordinator Farzad Mostashari, MD, commenting on the Health IT Policy Committee's proposals for Stage 3 meaningful use, James Madara, MD, executive vice president and CEO of the American Medical Association, put forth some of the AMA's "concerns and recommendations" about the program.
February 18, 2013
News
A mid-November survey of 191 members of the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME) reveals that hospital CIOs are less confident they will meet Stage 1 meaningful use criteria and therefore not qualify early for EHR federal stimulus funds.
December 14, 2010
Blog
I'm often asked how healthcare reform will impact IT planning and implementation over the next few years.
December 9, 2010
Blog
Healthcare providers can never get enough advice about how to implement EHRs. Maine's regional extension center held a forum for healthcare providers last week and one physician, who has been practicing in a paperless environment for the last five years, gave excellent guidance. Take heed.
November 15, 2010
Blog
Meaningful use is providing incentive for hospitals to step up and digitize health information. It's an admirable step forward for the healthcare industry.
November 10, 2010
Blog
As readers of my blog know, I'm passionate about mobile technology. I believe that iPhone/Android smartphones, iPod Touch, and the iPad, Playbook, Galaxy, and Streak will become the platforms for healthcare.
November 5, 2010
Blog
Providers and policymakers working hard to transition the healthcare sector to EHRs might not want to think about this, but at least one longtime observer of HIT is suggesting that EHRs have already had their day and it’s time to move on to something new.
November 2, 2010
Blog
With cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in the United States, cardiovascular specialists have long used clinical quality guidelines to optimize care and enhance the quality of life for patients.
October 26, 2010
Blog
Last week, I met with Patientsafe Solutions, a San Diego-based startup founded by serial entrepreneur James Sweeney. Their idea is simple - leverage the iPod Touch 4G form factor and the iOS 4 SDK to create an all in one mobile device for healthcare.
October 22, 2010
Blog
After reading an article on the five key features of tomorrow's EHR, I wondered how the current EHR products are going to transition to meet the demands of healthcare providers and patients.
October 19, 2010
Blog
Two landmark reports by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) changed Americans’ perception of their health care system and launched today’s drive to improve the quality and safety of medical care in America. The reports were To Err Is Human, published in 1999, and Crossing the Quality Chasm, released in 2001.
October 12, 2010
Blog
October 4th was the first day of the National REC and HIE Summit West. I attended the preconference symposium on "Meaningful Use - What It Is and How To Qualify." What impressed me about this symposium was the sincerity and passion of the speakers, who are early adopters of EHRs and true physician champions.
October 5, 2010
Blog
As healthcare organizations work to meet meaningful use criteria, concerns continue to grow about the necessary capital investment in technology and the impact of electronic health records.
September 28, 2010
Blog
Industry changes are top of mind for executives at hospitals, medical colleges and hospital networks across the United States and will be actively discussed at this week’s GE Centricity Business National Users’ Conference.
August 30, 2010
Press Release
iSALUS Healthcare, one of the country's top web-based Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Practice Management software companies that exclusively focuses on small and medium sized physician practices, today announced the launch of an iPhone mobile application.
August 25, 2010
Press Release
Sage North America today announced that products developed by its Healthcare Division are now part of the award-winning Sage Partner Advantage program.
August 25, 2010
Press Release
Sage North America Healthcare Division, which provides practice management software and services to approximately 80,000 physicians in North America, today announced that Good Neighbor Community Health Center, based in Columbus, Neb., has selected Sage Intergy CHC as its electronic health records system.
August 19, 2010
Press Release
iSALUS Healthcare, one of the country's top web-based electronic medical records (EMR-EHR) software and medical practice management software companies that serves small and medium sized physician practices, today announced a newly formed strategic partnership with the Indianapolis Medical Society (IMS).
August 17, 2010
Press Release
Patient Access Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of information technology solutions for the healthcare industry announced today a partnership with iMedicor.
August 17, 2010
Press Release
Xyntek, Inc., a global provider of IT, automation and compliance solutions, has launched XyNexus Healthcare Integration Service, the consolidation of its healthcare information technology service, which is designed for HIT integration, EHR (electronic health records) exchange, and complete lifecycle integration.
August 12, 2010
Press Release
Metiscan's majority owned subsidiary Schuylkill Open MRI, Inc. (Schuylkill), which is an outpatient diagnostic imaging facility located in Pottsville, Pennsylvania providing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) services, announced today that it has upgraded its legacy electronic healthcare records (EHR) system to a new Web 2.0 based Health Language Seven (HL7) compliant EHR and practice management system.
August 6, 2010
Press Release
SRS, the leader in productivity-enhancing EMR technology and services for high-performance, specialty practices today announced that OA Centers for Orthopaedics has selected the SRS hybrid EMR for its 41 high-performance specialists.
August 4, 2010
Press Release
To ensure downtime access to current patient data after moving to electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic medication administration records (eMARs), Hancock Regional Hospital in Greenfield, IN implemented NetSafe, Interbit Data's downtime protection and business continuance solution.
July 29, 2010
Press Release
For the small practice healthcare provider, selecting an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system can be a daunting task, with more than 300 vendors, complicated pricing, and products that are impossible to evaluate for usability, effectiveness, and implementation times.
July 21, 2010
Press Release
Pulse Systems, Inc., an industry-leading vendor of ambulatory healthcare software solutions, announced that today's finalization of stage one Meaningful Use measures will remove uncertainty from the market and unleash widespread adoption of effective electronic health record technology -- such as Pulse EHR -- while displacing substandard systems.
July 14, 2010
Press Release
