Most Clicked eHealth SmartBrief Stories
1. 3-part look at the year in health IT
eHealth SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
Modern Healthcare offers a three-part look at the health care IT stories that made headlines over the past year. Part one looks at states' efforts to promote transparency by posting hospital performance ratings online and the shortcomings of the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative. Part two reviews privacy breaches and efforts to tighten privacy laws and the FCC's health IT grants. Part three examines EHR adoption and the use of personal health records. Modern Healthcare (free registration) (12/31)
2. Wisconsin clinic finds success without paper records
eHealth SmartBrief | Dec 29, 2008
Wisconsin's Marshfield Clinic has learned to successfully manage its patients through the use of computerized patient records that not only hold medical information, but offer treatment recommendations and a necessary lifeline in emergency situations. The clinic has a history of using information technology and consulted physicians while it converted from paper records to an all-digital system. New York Times, The (12/26)
3. EMRs to grow 14% annually until 2012, report says
eHealth SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
The electronic medical record market will grow by 14.1% annually until 2012, according to a new report released by marketing research firm Kalorama Information. The report also reviews how EMRs are beginning to be shared and controlled between provider and patient, rather than only among providers, which could reduce costs and strengthen the provider-patient relationships. Healthcare IT News (12/31)
4. Providers see benefits from PHR switch
eHealth SmartBrief | Dec 29, 2008
Patients in Tucson, Ariz., are at a crossroads as some providers have embraced technology such as personal health records while others have stuck to their paper records and prescription pads. Doctors at New Pueblo Medicine initially resisted the change but now tout the system because of the many benefits the practice says it has for both patients and providers. Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (12/29)
5. NYC's $60M program pushes electronic health records
eHealth SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
New York City's Health Department has recruited more than 1,000 primary-care providers in the past year to switch to electronic medical records as part of its $60 million program to encourage e-records. Participating doctors get subsidies to adopt a standard database system and receive report cards on how their preventive efforts compare with their peers. Wall Street Journal (free content), The (12/30) New York Times, The (12/29)
6. Economy tops health care issues for 2009
eHealth SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
The effect of the economic downturn is the top issue facing health care in 2009, according to an annual report by PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Industries Group. The report also says the number of underinsured, the Internet, pay-for-performance, the ICD-9-to-10 conversion and social networking will be among the key health care issues next year. Healthcare IT News (12/29)
7. 2008 in review: The top health care news
eHealth SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
Philip Betbeze of HealthLeaders Media offers a personal look at 2008, including a review of the financial situation that made hospitals think twice about expenditures and the ups and downs in efforts to develop health care and insurance reform this year. He says organizations will need to focus on offering low-cost care and better outcomes than the competition to attract consumers. HealthLeaders Media (12/29)
8. Lack of "connectivity" among medical devices creates concerns
eHealth SmartBrief | Dec 29, 2008
Many medical devices are not capable of communicating with each other, and this inability is among the reasons why U.S. health care facilities fail "to make dramatic improvements in patient safety," said Dr. Julian Goldman, a hospital anesthesiologist. Device firms, however, attend yearly "Connectathons" and consider increased connectivity a priority, said Jeffrey Secunda, AdvaMed's associate vice president of technology and regulatory affairs. Boston Globe, The (12/29)
9. Tenn. promotes e-prescribing through new state program
eHealth SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
The number of providers that use e-prescribing in Tennessee has grown 127% since 2007 due in part to programs like e-Prescribe Tennessee, which was created by Gov. Phil Bredesen earlier this year. The network of health care stakeholders works on creating a collaborative effort between patients and providers that promotes safety and efficiency. Tennessean (Nashville), The (12/30)
10. A reality check in the billions on health care reforms
eHealth SmartBrief | Dec 29, 2008
The Congressional Budget Office, which gauges how much legislation will cost the government, says that health reforms such as the ones Democrats are promoting could cost up to $200 billion annually. Additionally, measures to save money will not do so. Peter Orszag, the former CBO leader, left his post there to become Obama's budget director. Wall Street Journal, The (subscription required) (12/28)
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