Technology

The challenges in reforming healthcare seemingly continue to increase.

The future of healthcare will likely rely on the advances that technology can provide.

After focusing for weeks on the technical failures of President Obama's health insurance website, Republicans on Tuesday broadened their criticism of the health care law, pointing to Americans whose health plans have been terminated because they do not meet the law's new coverage requirements.

Electronic health records are changing the way your family doctor does business, with most now able to view lab results or send a prescription online, a change that advocates say will improve efficiency and lead to fewer medical errors.

Amid the havoc of a healthcare insurance exchange website overwhelmed with problems, many aired concerns as to whether the individual mandate penalty would be delayed.In addition to President Obama calling in reinforcements to address exchange technology problems, the administration announced Wednesday that it would extend the consumer enrollment deadline until March 31, 2014.

As the coming year approaches, more vendors are working toward meeting Stage 2 meaningful use in electronic health record (EHR) products.

As the end of 2013 closes in, most federal certification bodies are noticing an uptick in the number of vendors who are applying to become certified under the 2014 criteria - the same criteria that will be required for the EHR products providers must use to attest to meaningful use Stage 2.

We assessed physicians' capability to electronically share clinical information with other providers and describe variation in exchange capability across states and electronic health record vendors.

Social security numbers allegedly passed around in clear sight. Page after page of unworkable code. And no clarity on when it will all be fixed. Just another day of trying to log in to healthcare.gov.

According to John McAfee one of the main problems with the Affordable Act is its technical shortfalls.

It's been barely a week since Farzad Mostashari, M.D., turned in his keycard for the Hubert H. Humphrey Building as well as his government-issued mobile phone, so the former head of ONC still has keen insight into the minds of federal regulators.

ONC watchers in the healthcare industry and media alike now have their answer to what exactly outgoing national coordinator Farzad Mostashari, MD, will do now.

As online applications, the health insurance exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act will leave something to be desired in at least some states when they start enrolling consumers on Oct. 1.

avid Muntz, the No. 2 official at HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, will be joining his boss, national coordinator Dr. Farzad Mostashari, in heading out the door next month. Muntz intends to return to the private sector.

Health Information Technology (HIT) is expected to make patients' medical information not only more accessible, but easier to share among providers. Yet, despite the promising capabilities of HIT, providers are not entirely convinced about the costs that come with health technology.

Home blood pressure (BP) monitoring and use of secure webbased tools to manage care collaboratively with pharmacists is a cost-effective way to improve BP control.

Tom Lee, MD, Founder and CEO, One Medical Group, says there are a wide variety of technologies that can enhance patient-centered care.

Health services are now expected to deliver quality care with a shrinking budget. The digital 'channel shift' could be the answer, but attitudes to technology in the sector must change.

Dr Farzard Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will be leaving his post after 2 years of service.

The announcement Aug. 6 that Farzad Mostashari, MD, would be stepping down from his job as national coordinator for health information technology this fall led much praise about his passion for the work, and his many achievements.

This fall, Dr Farzad Mostashari will step down as head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology after two years in the position.

A provision of the Affordable Care Act went into effect on August 1st that will require physicians and medical companies to disclose their financial relationships.

What health information technology professionals really need is training in informatics, said William Hersh, MD, chair of Oregon Health & Science University's Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology.

Increasing enrollment in health insurance is one of the primary goals of the health reform law. The CMS took a major step to achieve that this week by signing agreements with five Web-based insurance broker firms to help enroll Americans in the insurance exchanges in the 35 states where the federal government will run them.

The market for health care information technology is showing enormous growth potential, and plenty of Maryland businesses are crowding in.

According to several healthcare CIOs giving testimony yesterday in the District of Columbia, hospitals are pressed for both time and money when it comes to implementing the necessary changes to their EHR systems and clinical workflows.

The presence of inexpensive centers and new data collection tools show promise in cutting costs as providers take a new path in care delivery, says Eric Topol, MD, Director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, Chief Academic Officer at Scripps Health, Cardiologist, and Professor of Genomics at The Scripps Research Institute.

As defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), meaningful use is the implementation and adoption of EHR systems to increase the delivery of high-quality care while ensuring patient safety. However, this hasn't been the experience of many physicians whose EHR systems are viewed as encumbrances in the way of their clinical workflows.

Accountability will continue to be a key element in the future of healthcare reform. Whether in accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), or other innovative programs for coordinating care-finding a way to drive quality-focused care is essential.

Despite concerns that some providers are lagging in the adoption of electronic health records, federal officials plan to stay on schedule in requiring hospitals to meet Stage 2 meaningful-use requirements, the officials said Wednesday