Practice Technology

The federal government can encourage physicians to buy electronic health record systems, but it is the vendors and hospitals that affiliate with doctors that ultimately will determine whether they adopt them, according to a new report from healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information.

Should a physician send his or her patients a "friend request" on Facebook? Social networking poses new challenges and rules for doctors and other professionals who embrace it.

The American Medical Association (AMA) changes in Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding from year to year can have an enormous effect on any practice.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to 33 medical societies requesting information about the financial backing they receive from the pharmaceutical, medical device and insurance industries.

Iowa?s Medicaid program is the first to receive federal matching funds for planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to an announcement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Two of the largest electronic health record systems in the country, Kaiser Permanente?s HealthConnect and the Department of Veterans Affairs? VistA, have joined forces in a pilot project in San Diego to exchange electronic health record information using the Nationwide Health Information Network created by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Orem, Utah-based research firm KLAS released its annual rankings of the best-performing healthcare IT software and services vendors.

Daily text-message reminders appear to increase patient adherence to recommendations from physicians, at least when it comes to sunscreen use, according to a report in the Archives of Dermatology.

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology has announced the first electronic health record products to be certified under its CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive and Preliminary ARRA 2011 programs.

In the wake of Coca-Cola doling out a large-sum grant for a consumer health website operated by the AAFP, controversy has ensued.

The Medical Group Management Association suggests that government officials need to ease requirements for incentives related to meaningful use within medical practices.

California launched an online resource designed to help consumers decide which preferred provider organization is best for them.

The Medical Group Management Association says many medical groups may not achieve "meaningful use" and will not qualify for the EHR incentives if the criteria are too burdensome.

Collaborative care delivered via telephone benefitted patients with depression after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, according to a study recently published in Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Department of Health and Human Services plans to award $80 million in grants to develop and strengthen the health information technology workforce.

The Connecticut attorney general's office is investigating the loss of health information of 446,000 state residents by managed care company Health Net and the company's six-month notification delay.

A software lab in Austin, Texas, is submitting to become a EHR certification group.

Survey shows British PCPs feel they spend more time looking at computer screens in the exam room than they do with their patients.

Technology has improved medical care immensely in the past two centuries, yet the profession struggles with how to use it most effectively.

Although much attention is being paid to software solutions, gadget and tool providers continue to release new equipment options.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program has announced the funding of 111 projects in 35 states via $34.9 million in grants designed to expand access to health care services and increase educational opportunities in rural areas via telecommunications, computer networks, and other resources.

Physician smartphone adoption rates will experience significant growth over the next few years, according to the latest physician report from Manhattan Research. Currently, 64 percent of U.S. physicians own smartphones, but this rate will increase to 81 percent in 2012, according to the report.

Companies that work with healthcare organizations and handle private patient information are largely unprepared to meet the new data breach-related obligations included in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

Google has launched a Web site, www.google.com/flushot, to help people locate the locations nearest to them at which H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines are available.

Doctors in the United States and Canada lag behind other countries in the use of electronic health records, according to responses of 10,000 physicians in 11 countries queried for the 2009 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey.

Vermont physicians will get thre years' free access to an e-prescribing program thanks to a federal grant

AAFP forges partnership to help members and physicians select EHR vendor

HITECH has new requirements regarding business associates and notification of patients regarding breaches of unsecured protected health information.

The former head of Google Health has launched a new website, Keas.com, in an effort to provide individualized care plans.

The state of Rhode Island has launched a new system for tracking H1N1 flu that uses prescribing data provided by pharmacies throughout the state via a secure electronic link. Enabled by the state's e-prescribing and the digital healthcare infrastructure, the system is believed to be the first of its kind.