Health Data Management articles from June 2009

Health Data Management archives from June 2009

FTC Rule Proposal Covers PHR Privacy Breaches.(Newsline)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Joseph Goedert The Federal Trade Commission has issued a proposed rule that would require personal health records vendors and related entities to notify consumers when their identifiable health information has been breached. ...

Measuring ROI; Calculating the return on multi-million dollar investments poses unique challenges. Measuring benefits varies widely by organization type.(Cover Story/Executive Management Series)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Gary Baldwin, Editorial Director This is the final installment in a three-part series on executive management issues. In February, part one tackled capital planning while part two in April analyzed cross-functional teams. When...

Drowning in spam, U-Tenn finds a cheaper lifejacket.(Cover Story/Executive Management Series)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Gary Baldwin, Editorial Director Every day, the University of Tennessee Medical Center gets a gift from the outside world - a big box of spam. The 100,000 daily inbound e-mails arriving at the Knoxville-based teaching hospital are...

The eight-minute mystery.(Cover Story/Executive Management Series)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Gary Baldwin, Editorial Director When Fallon Clinic invested $24 million in ambulatory electronic health records, it figured it would break even on the project at year seven, or 2012, recalls Larry Garber, M.D., medical director for...

Hopes, Doubts About Stimulus Provisions.(A Closer Look)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Joseph Goedert Clinicians who attended the 2009 HIMSS Conference in Chicago in April came for a multitude of reasons. Samuel Lederman, M.D., managing partner at Palm Beach (Fla.) Obstetrics and Gynecology, came for tips. He got a...

The Payer Role in HIEs; Many health information exchanges are still waiting for substantial commitments from insurers, but some payers are stepping up.(Feature/Information Exchange Series)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Joseph Goedert, News Editor The core philosophy of health information exchanges is to bring together industry stakeholders to facilitate the appropriate sharing of patient data throughout a community, region or state. But while...

Blues plan looks for others to step up.(Feature/Information Exchange Series)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Joseph Goedert, News Editor Following its spending of $50 million to accelerate electronic health records adoption and health information exchanges in three communities, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts executives say...

Keeping Personal Health Records Personal; Securing PHRs is similar to protecting any other electronic data, with some subtle twists.(Feature/I.T. Security Series)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Joseph Goedert, News Editor This is part two of a three-part series on I.T. security. Part three, on authorization issues, will appear in the December issue. The Indiana University Health Center in February started offering...

A different type of PHR.(Feature/I.T. Security Series)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Joseph Goedert, News Editor Some provider organizations see personal health records as a way to extend their electronic health records system by importing some EHR data into the PHR. Las Vegas-based Southwest Medical...

Taking on the Big Boys; A community hospital system is spending big bucks on I.T. to help it demonstrate quality, value.(Group Practices)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Howard J. Anderson, Executive Editor A Catholic integrated delivery system that owns six New England hospitals is spending $70 million on information technology so it can better compete for patients against the major teaching...

Focusing on Quality Data; A physician hospital organization uses data analytics software to improve care and document how it happened.(Clinical Quality Reporting)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Joseph Goedert, News Editor Northeast Physician Hospital Organization, a Beverly, Mass.-based case management services agency, offers quality reporting services, among other functions, to a two-hospital delivery system and an...

Upwardly Mobile.(Executive Session)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Gary Baldwin Catherine Bruno has an ambitious vision for Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, a seven-hospital, $872 million organization based in Brewer. "We'd like all the hospitals at stage 7," the vice president and CIO says,...

Report: It's Time to Change EHR Priorities.(Newsline)(Report)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Howard Anderson Hospitals should consider changing their priorities when implementing electronic health records, automating documentation of physicians' notes earlier in the game, a new report suggests. The change in priorities...

Survey Shows Americans Want EHRS.(Newsline)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Howard Anderson Three out of four Americans think it's important that their health care provider use electronic health records. But nearly 60% say they are not confident these records, which can be shared online, will remain...

Blues Plan Pushes Medical Home Model.(Newsline)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Joseph Goedert Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has launched an ambitious program to promote the medical home model of care. The program involves more than 1,000 physicians in nearly 300 primary care practices located across...

Assessing 'Meaningful Use'.(Newsline)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Howard Anderson The initial federal definition of "meaningful use" of electronic health records should focus on improving medication management and the coordination of care. That's the recommendation of a new report endorsed by...

Minnesota Blues Adopts Online Consults.(Newsline)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Joseph Goedert Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota expects in 2010 to expand its benefits by offering online, real-time, face-to-face consultations with physicians. The Blues plan will use the online consultation technology...

Genomic Medicine Goes into Orbit.(Newsline)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Howard Anderson Aurora Health Care, a Milwaukee-based delivery system, has launched an I.T.-fueled research effort designed to support personalized medicine based on genetic research. The ORBIT program creates a repository of...