Information Technology

Electronic health records, computerized physician order entry and e-prescribing are among the information technology systems that are increasingly considered necessary to providing high-quality, cost-efficient care. The HITECH Act, the part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that outlines incentives for healthcare organizations using healthcare IT, has promoted growth in the implementation of IT throughout the U.S. healthcare industry.

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'Med Op' technology could save billions
Critics hammer feds at Congressional meaningful use hearing

 
New website spotlights data, care models
HIMSS Media launched a global online community this week dedicated to chronicling new and innovative models of healthcare that improve individual and community well-being, while also promising cost reduction.
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Post date: May 15, 2013
Benjamin Harris
News
Value-based payments picking up steam
The number of health plans that expect more than half their business will be under value-based models is expected to triple in the next five years according to a new research report released last week by health information network Availity.
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Post date: May 13, 2013
Chris Anderson
News
EHR incentive payments top $13B
Continuing the upward trajectory of EHR reimbursements flowing out into the healthcare industry, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said on Tuesday morning that the total paid as of March's end is more than $13.7 billion.
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Post date: May 8, 2013
Tom Sullivan
News
Telemedicine's value proposition
In a session Monday at the American Telemedicine Association's 18th Annual International Meeting & Trade Show titled "The Telemedicine Value Proposition: ROI & Sustainability," Watson laid out the numbers, so far, for UPMC's forays into virtual care since 2009.
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Post date: May 7, 2013
Mike Miliard
News
mHealth needs to focus on consumers
A panel of telemedicine industry executives took on the topic of user-friendly design Monday afternoon at the American Telemedicine Association's18th Annual International Meeting & Trade Show. Their conclusion: Healthcare needs to design new methods of care delivery that appeal to the consumer.
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Post date: May 7, 2013
Eric Wicklund
News
Telemedicine as business tool
The American Telemedicine Association's finance and operations track during its annual meeting in Austin, Texas, sets out to give conference attendees a better understanding of telemedicine's return on investment and efficiencies.
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Post date: May 6, 2013
Frank Irving
News
Private payers pave way for telemedicine
When it comes to paying for new procedures or new ways of delivering care, private insurers often keep their eyes on payment policies from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. If CMS begins compensation for a service, the private payers will likely follow. But that rule of thumb may not apply in the new world of reimbursing for telemedicine and telehealth services.
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Post date: May 6, 2013
Chris Anderson
News
Venture funding and mHealth
Venture capital funding is alive and well in the digital health sector, according to the experts. But that doesn't mean every Tom, Dick and Harriet with a telehealth proposal is going to get it.
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Post date: May 6, 2013
Eric Wicklund
News
Providers see shift to outpatient care
Health systems foresee a major shift this year from inpatient admissions to treatment in outpatient settings as they overhaul care delivery models to meet healthcare reform changes, according to the Premier healthcare alliance.
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Post date: May 1, 2013
Mary Mosquera
News
Big data may save money and lives
A recent survey indicates that federal IT officials think big data analytics will save money and spare patients' lives.
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Post date: April 17, 2013
Paul Cerrato
News
Fraud prevention through prediction
The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that healthcare fraud costs are approximately $80 billion annually. To prevent some of the billions from being siphoned from the healthcare system, many organizations are turning toward analytics.
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Post date: April 16, 2013
Tammy Worth
News
E-prescribing to grow to $794M
The electronic prescribing systems market is estimated to grow to $794 million, at a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent from 2012 to 2017, according to a new study by MarketsandMarkets, which analyzed major market drivers, restraints and opportunities around the world.
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Post date: April 15, 2013
Bernie Monegain
News
Big Data and the Future of the Health Insurance Market
While the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate was naturally expected to drive the previously uninsured to non-group plans, it has become increasingly clear that the individual market is also bracing for a potentially significant influx of currently insured enrollees who are driven there both by choice and necessity.
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Post date: March 28, 2013
James C. Bohnsack
Blog
Data Integration: Helping healthcare organizations reduce readmissions
A total of $280 million in hospital readmissions penalties will be paid by 2,213 hospitals this year as a result of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program administered by CMS. Healthcare organizations have two options for reduction of readmissions rates.
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Post date: March 27, 2013
Gary Palgon
Blog
EHRs and improper billing: Should we worry?
Concerns are emerging that the adoption of electronic health records is leading to inappropriate increases in billings to payers, including Medicare, and that these higher billings could undermine or even overwhelm any cost savings generated by the digitization of providers.
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Post date: February 19, 2013
David Williams
Blog
Practice Management software and the Merchant Service Account problem
The more than 300 Practice Management Software vendors in the United States help practices – that range in size from individual doctors to multi-office groups made up of thousands of healthcare professionals – manage their most important operations, both clinically and financially.
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Post date: February 15, 2013
Tom Furr
Blog
What Amazon can teach us about telehealth adoption
Since legacy rules hamper rather than facilitate the emergence of a useful new technology, perhaps it’s reasonable to look to other mechanisms to nurture telehealth’s growth with financial incentives.
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Post date: January 28, 2013
David Williams
Blog
Leveraging clinical data to improve patient care and the bottom line
As accountable care organizations (ACOs) and pay-for-performance reimbursement models take on greater prominence, the ability to leverage clinical data is emerging as a key tool in reducing costs and improving patient outcomes.
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Post date: December 11, 2012
Jacob Margolin
Blog
Leveraging cloud technology to navigate the evolving healthcare industry
This growing trend is not a newsflash for anyone who works in the industry, but a critical backdrop for discussing how the role of cloud technologies can help organizations “evolve or die” by eliminating aged legacy systems and migrating to more agile processes that will capture better data.
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Post date: December 5, 2012
Ryan McGinn
Blog
MGMA 2012: Small steps, big changes
I spent a couple days this week at the annual meeting of the Medical Group Management Association, in San Antonio. As always, the hallway conversations, chats with vendors in and around the trade show booths, and the twitter back channel were among the most interesting parts of the experience.
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Post date: October 25, 2012
David Harlow
Blog
ICD-10 Delays Present Opportunity to Improve, Upgrade Technology
HHS's proposed delay for the ICD-10 transition has spurred both support and criticism from various professional organizations, including the AMA, HIMSS, and the AHA. Despite disagreement on the compliance timeline, most stakeholders agree the new code set will reduce inappropriate coding, facilitate better care management, and improve reporting.
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Post date: September 18, 2012
David Lareau
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Mad dash to Medicaid: 2 cost saving techniques for hospitals treating a high volume of medicaid patients
With a conservative estimate of 16 million people being added to Medicaid in 2014, hospitals are in a sense of urgency to find cost cutting techniques.
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Post date: September 7, 2012
James Ellis and Aaron Razavi
Blog
Why meaningful use has penalties
Some people are motivated by incentives, but almost everyone hates to lose. So the penalty phase provides a motivation to get moving, even to those providers who missed out on the bonuses.
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Post date: September 6, 2012
David Williams
Blog
3 reasons why hospitals should adopt EHRs
Hospitals and physician clinics continue to adopt electronic health records (EHRs) at a growing rate. An American Hospital Association (AHA) study found that 81% of hospitals plan to implement EHRs to achieve meaningful use so that they may become eligible for incentive payments.
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Post date: August 29, 2012
James Ellis and Aaron Razavi
Blog