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One obstacle to better use of clinical data within healthcare organizations is that capturing discrete patient data and entering that data in a computable format appear to be daunting, resource-intensive tasks, according to healthcare providers participating in a study, the findings of which are summarized in a white paper titled, Can Organizations Maximize Clinical Data?

A national initiative by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Institute of Medicine aims to improve access to health data so that developers of Web and mobile phone applications, social media, and other information technologies can create tools designed to improve health.

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $83.9 million in grants to help networks of health centers adopt electronic health records and other health information technology systems.

A new study in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington will examine the effect of physicians sharing with patients, through online medical record portals, the comments and observations they make after each patient encounter.

"Marketing" is any action to attract or keep patients, which includes many activities.

Novice leadership

One physician's first "real" job of residency was at a small clinic serving a mostly active-duty Army population.

The financial crisis of 2008-2009, along with more recent concern over the large debts run up by Greece and some other members of the European Union, has made debt a frequent topic of meetings with clients.

Patients admitted to hospitals for heart failure in 2006 fared better in-hospital than did those in 1993, but were discharged more often to nursing homes, and readmitted more frequently, according to research.

Parkinson's disease patients taking the drug amantadine are at risk for damage to the corneal endothelium and resulting impaired vision, which can become more pronounced the longer the drug is used, according to research.

In hypertensive patients with diabetes, shorter intervals between encounters with physicians are associated with a faster decrease in blood pressure and earlier blood pressure normalization, new research indicates.

Family matters

Locum tenens agencies have a wealth of experience in helping providers arrange their home lives and embrace technology to deepen, rather than diminish, their family ties.

Life insurance proceeds paid to an irrevocable life insurance trust may escape estate taxation if the trust owns the policy and you have not retained any incidents of ownership, such as the right to change the beneficiary.

The Federal Trade Commission called on Congress to alter the "Red Flags" rule legislation to exempt groups, such as physician offices, from the identity theft protection guidelines.

A two-year national demonstration project of the patient-centered medical home concept of 31 primary care practices shows that the model does improve care, but patients still complain of lack of income and personal relationships with physicians, according to study results.

A growing number of U.S. primary care doctors are taking locum tenens positions overseas.

Americans rely on Google searches as a source of healthcare information, second only to physicians, according to a survey.

Use of antidepressants during pregnancy, particularly paroxetine, venlafaxine, or a combination of different antidepressant classes, may increase risk of miscarriage by 68 percent, according to researchers.

The use of at-home blood pressure monitors and Web-based reporting tools that connect clinicians and patients via the Internet appears to significantly improve patients? ability to manage their hypertension to healthy levels, according to a recent study from Kaiser Permanente.

Improved patient outcomes are the biggest benefit of the use of telehealth, and the main barrier to telehealth adoption is reimbursement, according to a national survey of healthcare and information technology professionals sponsored by Intel Corp.

Practices using paper notes should consider switching to electronic health records to improve the efficiency with which they recall and treat sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, according to research conducted at the Patrick Clements Clinic, Central Middlesex Hospital, London.

A proposal by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to establish a temporary program to certify electronic health record systems, followed by a permanent program, has elicited formal comments from the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission.