Health Informatics Industry News

Regional Extension Centers (RECs) were introduced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

A small physician practice in Maine recently celebrated its own milestone in improving the lives of its patients through technology, reports Healthcare IT News.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has come under fire for suggestions made to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), reports Healthcare IT News.

Farzad Mostashari told his audience at a meeting of the National Quality Forum earlier this week that he remains optimistic about the increasing adoption of medical informatics technology across the country, reports Healthcare IT News.

Officials at the GAO made a series of recommendations to the CMS on how hospitals are assessed against meaningful use criteria, reports Healthcare IT News.

A new healthcare IT policy guide published by the Markel Foundation has revealed the challenges faced by hospitals, physicians and care providers in light of continued regulatory changes and evolving technology, reports Healthcare IT News.

CHIME has become the latest organization to offer suggestions on how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should revise its meaningful use medical informatics usage incentive program, reports Information Week.

According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), the CMS have set the standards required for demonstrating stage two meaningful use of medical informatics systems too high, reports Healthcare IT News.

According to a recent study, researchers revealed that the CDS tools of medical informatics systems are no substitute for the experience and knowledge of physicians, reports Information Week.

According to a study due to be published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, there was a significant disparity in the number of healthcare professionals eligible to receive meaningful use payments and those who actually applied for them.

More than 76,000 physicians and healthcare facilities have been awarded a total of $4.5 billion for participating in the CMS’ meaningful use incentive program, reports Healthcare IT News.

Of the top 100 hospitals identified by a recent survey published by Thomson Reuters, many demonstrated advanced use of healthcare IT such as medical informatics systems.

Healthcare IT, such as data warehousing, natural language processing and advanced use of medical informatics systems, is providing clinicians with more tools to diagnose, treat and monitor complex medical conditions, according to Information Week.

Officials from Duke University Health System (DUHS) confirmed that they have chosen M*Modal’s voice recognition software as part of their Epic medical informatics solution, reports Healthcare IT News.

According to a study published by Zynx Health, many hospitals using medical informatics systems could make significant improvements to following best practices in the treatment of heart failure and pneumonia, reports Information Week.

A new report published by research firm KLAS indicates that thousands of urgent care centers across the country are investigating how medical informatics technology can help them cope, reports Healthcare IT News.

A study of healthcare IT implementation at seven VA hospitals, specifically that of medical informatics systems, has revealed that suboptimal integration of such technology could place patients at risk, reports Information Week.

A study of healthcare IT implementation at seven VA hospitals, specifically that of medical informatics systems, has revealed that suboptimal integration of such technology could place patients at risk, reports Information Week.

According to the International Journal of Medical Informatics (IJMA), developers of electronic health records need to improve the way in which physicians are notified of important clinical events to avoid “alert fatigue,” reports Information Week.

According to a new study published by Kalorama Information, the sale of clinical informatics systems increased by 14 percent in 2011, reports Healthcare IT News.

Based on the results of a recent Anoto survey of healthcare professionals, 80 percent reported they are still using paper health records, despite the fact that they already have an electronic health record (EHR) system in place.

Significant progress has been made in the implementation of clinical informatics technology during the past three years.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services have made significant progress in the nationwide adoption of healthcare IT such as medical informatics systems in the past three years.

Four researchers who recently published a study on the potential increase in costs associated with medical informatics systems have responded to criticisms leveled at the report by Farzad Mostashari, reports Healthcare IT News.

Farzad Mostashari, the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), recently said that patients can be pivotal in the continued adoption of medical informatics systems and other healthcare IT infrastructure, reports Information Week.

The healthcare IT industry has seen significant progress in the adoption of medical informatics technology during the past two years.

According to a new study published by global consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), medical informatics technology is crucial in ensuring improvements to the general population’s health and reducing costs of providing quality care.

Despite the initial expenditure necessary to implement clinical informatics technology in healthcare facilities, many experts agree that ultimately, such systems help hospitals save money.

Officials at Fujifilm recently announced that its modular electronic health record (EHR) solution aimed at medical imaging professionals has received meaningful use certification for radiology.

A new survey published by medical malpractice insurance agency the Doctors Company has revealed which states are leading the country in terms of clinical informatics implementation, reports Healthcare IT News.

Officials from the U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) recently met to discuss the ongoing collaboration to further develop a single medical informatics platform, reports Healthcare IT News.

Physicians and healthcare providers attesting to stage two of the CMS’ meaningful use federal financial incentive may also be awarded credit toward Medicare PQRS, according to Information Week.

Physicians and healthcare IT vendors at the HIMSS conference in Las Vegas have been discussing how developments in modern technology could shape the future of medicine, reports Information Week.

According to a new report commissioned by the National Partnership for Women & Families, despite widespread support for medical informatics technology, many patients remain concerned about the security of their health data, reports Information Week.

Although healthcare providers across the U.S. remain committed to the adoption of medical informatics systems, interoperability is still a significant challenge for many hospitals and physician practices, reports Healthcare IT News.

According to a new study published by nonprofit organization the ECRI Institute, the adoption of clinical informatics systems should remain a top priority for medical facilities and healthcare IT professionals in 2012, reports Healthcare IT News.

According to the results of a recent survey by Accenture, physicians in the U.S. value the usefulness of clinical informatics systems and other healthcare IT less than doctors in other countries, reports Healthcare IT News.

In an attempt to facilitate the sharing of patient health information with isolated rural practices, officials in Iowa recently announced the launch of a health information exchange (HIE) project, reports Healthcare IT News.

Computer manufacturing giant Dell is banking on cloud computing and leveraging large volumes of data to personalize healthcare, reports Information Week.

A new study published by the American Medical Association (AMA) suggests that such systems can also encourage carelessness and error, reports Information Week.

Medical informatics vendor Epic is currently the most widely used solution by providers attesting to the CMS’ meaningful use federal financial incentives, reports Information Week.

In an attempt to make implementation of healthcare IT more accessible, medical informatics vendor Quest Diagnostics will offer eligible care providers discounts of up to 85 percent on its Care360 solution.

According to PracticeFusion, 60 percent of small and medium-sized physician practices are more confident in their operations due to the implementation of healthcare IT, reports Healthcare IT News.

A suite of clinical decision support (CDS) tools developed by San Francisco-based company Archimedes known as indiGo is gaining traction in the healthcare IT sector, reports Information Week.

A regional extension center (REC) in New York recently announced that more than 5,000 facilities and healthcare providers have enrolled in its program, reports Healthcare IT News.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has praised the efforts by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to raise awareness of healthcare IT among the general public, reports Healthcare IT News.

Electronic health record (EHR) vendor Allscripts has announced that it will integrate clinical decision support (CDS) tools developed by DiagnosisOne into its range of medical informatics systems.

Officials from two hospitals in Pennsylvania recently announced that they have attained stage six of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) Analytics criteria of medical informatics usage, reports Healthcare IT News.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicaid programs in many states have adopted clinical informatics systems, reports Information Week.

According to a new study published by enterprise software solutions firm Deltek, federal healthcare IT spending is expected to exceed $6.5 billion by 2016, reports Healthcare IT News.