Practice Technology

I wrote an article last year outlining what I considered to be the "utopian" medical practice ("One doctor's vision of the utopian practice: The future of medical office technology is taking shape today," June 19, 2009). Technology that exists now is already making the utopian medical practice a reality in some places. But what is the next step? How does that translate into improving patient care? And how will it pay for itself, or more accurately, provide the mechanism by which it will pay for itself?

Letter addresses AAFP position on electronic health record adoption.

If cost is a significant consideration and you can tolerate the hospital's primary care EHR templates, you should research any offers by local hospitals to subsidize your EHR purchase if you choose their system

The Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis will partner with the Indiana Health Information Exchange, the largest health information exchange organization in the United States, to securely exchange electronic health record (EHR) information using the Nationwide Health Information Network in the third of three pilot programs announced by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to improve the delivery of veterans? health information.

Inability to access their own medical records when needed was the top worry of respondents to a survey conducted by GfK Roper for electronic health record company Practice Fusion.

The not-for-profit Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society has introduced Quality 101, a Web site designed to be a primer on the basics and metrics of quality measurement and improvement.

Cincinnati and Detroit are the two final pilot cities selected under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Beacon Community Program, which aims to use health information technology to help tackle leading health problems in communities across the country and accelerate development of a nationwide health IT infrastructure.

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group Inc. are the first two technology review bodies authorized by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to test and certify electronic health record systems for compliance with the standards and certification criteria that were issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year. Applications for additional certification bodies also are under review.

Adults suffering from chronic diseases or conditions are significantly less likely to have Internet access than are healthy adults.

Americans spend 40% of their time online participating in social networking activities, playing games, or emailing. Almost 25% of the time online is spent with social networking sites and blogs, up from 15.8%.

Americans are divided about whether broadband Internet access is an advantage when it comes to obtaining health information, according to the results a national phone survey by the Pew Research Center?s Internet & American Life Project.

Support and monitoring via the telephone for patients who have chronic heart failure helps reduce the risk of mortality from all causes, and hospitalizations related to the chronic heart failure, according to a study recently published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. These interventions also were found to improve patient quality of life, reduce costs, and improve evidence-based prescribing.

Fifty-three percent of those going online for health information report that they have discussed information they found online with their doctors, and 51% say they have searched for information on the Web based on discussions with their doctors, according to a new Harris Poll.

The American Board of Medical Specialties plans to incorporate the ?meaningful use? of health information technology into its maintenance of certification program.

The president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians said he was cautiously optimistic about final rules for "meaningful use" of an electronic health record.

How to handle electronic health records upgrade issues.

The increasing use of electronic health records has led to a collaboration between the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization (IHTSDO) and the World Health Organization to harmonize WHO classifications with the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine?Clinical Terms maintained and distributed by IHTSDO.

Even when physicians have access to e-prescribing capabilities, many do not routinely use the technology, particularly the more advanced features the federal government is promoting with financial incentives, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change.

The Federal Communications Commission and the Food and Drug Administration have announced a joint effort to help ensure that the capabilities of broadband use in healthcare and wireless-enabled medical devices are fully realized.

Sixty-six percent of healthcare providers responding to a recent survey said that certification is a very important element in the process they use to evaluate ambulatory EHRs, but 52 percent erroneously thought that they must purchase an EHR certified by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology to receive stimulus funds to cover the purchase.

The 21 percent reduction in Medicare physician rates has been postponed for another six months. This matter will come up for review again after the fall elections.

The Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new Web site aimed at helping consumers access healthcare coverage. HealthCare.gov is the first central database of public and private health coverage options, according to the government.

Two papers in the July issue of Health Affairs examine how email, cell phones, and other technology can affect the patient-provider relationship and health outcomes.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services has launched the Web site for its electronic health record incentive programs.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has established a temporary certification program through which it will authorize organizations to test and certify electronic health record technology.