Topic

American Recovery And Reinvestment Act


Health Affairs: EMR transition could take some time

Industry News | Friday, August 27 2010
The adoption of basic or comprehensive EHR systems by U.S. hospitals increased from 8.7 percent in 2008 to 11.9 percent in 2009, but only 2 percent of hospitals met the federal meaningful use standards needed to qualify for government financial incentives, according to an article published Aug. 26 in an advance online edition of Health Affairs.
 

Report: Meaningful use criteria = health IT staff gaps

Top Stories | Tuesday, August 24 2010
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT predicts 50,000 additional health IT workers will be needed during the next five years to satisfy EHR meaningful use criteria. Thus, providers, payors and other stakeholders need to fill in workforce gaps with skill sets from other staff and focus on alternative ways to install and operate systems that realize economies of scale and therefore reduce health IT staff demands, according to a study from IT company CSC.
 

Nature: Gene scanning can identify brain development mutations

Clinical Studies | Tuesday, August 24 2010
Whole exome sequencing — a new gene scanning technology that cuts the cost and time of searching for rare mutations — can identify mutations in a single gene that can cause several types of developmental brain abnormalities that have traditionally been considered different disorders, according to a study published online Aug 22 in Nature.
 

Report: Best practices using health IT could create significant ROI

Top Stories | Monday, August 23 2010
A healthcare provider that creates a best practices IT platform to house and share medical records, manage hospital resources more transparently and define precise guidelines for medically authorized tests and procedures can generate significant operating efficiencies, according to analysis published in McKinsey Quarterly.
 

NIST publishes finalized EHR testing procedures

Top Stories | Thursday, August 19 2010
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a set of approved procedures for testing information technology systems that work with EHRs. The approved and finalized testing procedures are now available for use, according to the institute.
 

First x-ray laser dedicated by DoE

Industry News | Wednesday, August 18 2010
The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the first x-ray laser, was dedicated during a ceremony at the Department of Energy's (DoE) Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Laboratory by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu on Aug. 16.
 

Thomson Reuters, CareEvolution to assist N.C. HIE development

Partnerships & Alliances | Wednesday, August 18 2010
The North Carolina Hospital Association (NCHA) and the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) along with Moses Cone Health System and WakeMed Health & Hospitals have chosen health IT companies Thomson Reuters and CareEvolution to develop and launch the North Carolina Healthcare Information Exchange (NCHEX).
 

Tenn. alliance signs with ICA for HIE

Contracts & Installations | Wednesday, August 18 2010
Memphis, Tenn.-based MidSouth eHealth Alliance (MSeHA) has signed a multi-year contract with Informatics Corporation of America (ICA) under which ICA will provide health information exchange (HIE) capabilities to MSeHA.
 

AHRQ: Health IT, incentives spur practice-based population health

Industry News | Tuesday, August 17 2010
Practice-based population health (PBPH) may become a more widely viable option for primary care providers, according to a report released last month by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
 

GE's Centricity Practice Solution receives CCHIT premarket approval

New Products | Friday, August 13 2010
GE Healthcare has reportedly gained conditional permarket approval for its Centricity Practice Solution version 9.5 EMR technology by the Certification Commission for Health IT (CCHIT) as a CCHIT Certified 2011 Ambulatory EHR with additional certification for child health and cardiovascular medicine with advanced reporting.
 

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Web Exclusives | Tuesday, August 10 2010
Written by Gina Narcisi
Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.
 

Eclipsys skips into black in Q2

Financial News | Friday, August 06 2010
Eclipsys has logged a solid second quarter, which ended June 30, with quarterly revenues of $134.4 million, compared to $129.8 million for the second quarter of 2009.
 

HHS allocates $159M for healthcare workforce training

Industry News | Thursday, August 05 2010
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary awarded $159.1 million in healthcare workforce training program grants to train nurses and geriatric specialists in order to improve the performance and recruitment of under-represented minority students.
 

CMS grants $5.75M matching funds to states for EHR incentives

Top Stories | Wednesday, August 04 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded $5.75 million in federal matching funds across six states and the District of Columbia for state planning activities to implement the EHR incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
 

NASCIO: States march onward toward IT adoption

Industry News | Tuesday, August 03 2010
States have experienced expeditious growth in the adoption of health IT during the past year, according to a report by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).
 

Bill introduced to assist multi-campus hospitals receive health IT incentives

Top Stories | Monday, August 02 2010
Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., chair of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, joined Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio, along with Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., and Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, in introducing the EHR Incentives for Multi-Campus Hospitals Act of 2010. The Act would ensure that multi-campus hospitals which adopt and use health IT systems that meet appropriate standards will receive incentive payments, taking into account the higher costs of implementation.
 

Cerner posts strong Q2

Financial News | Sunday, August 01 2010
Cerner has reported strong revenues for the 2010 second quarter, which ended July 3, with its revenue at $456 million, up 13 percent compared with $403.8 million in the year-ago period. Also, its net earnings saw a double-digit increase over the same period last year.
 

Quality Systems ticks double-digit gains in income, revenue

Financial News | Sunday, August 01 2010
Quality Systems, the parent company of NextGen Healthcare, has announced the results of operations for its fiscal 2011 first quarter, which ended June 30.
 

CCHIT launches specialized EHR certification programs

Industry News | Tuesday, July 27 2010
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) has launched new certification programs for EHRs in behavioral health, both as an optional addition to ambulatory EHR certification and as a stand-alone behavioral health EHR used in other outpatient settings.
 

AMA: EHRs don't meet all Stage 1 meaningful use criteria

Industry News | Wednesday, July 21 2010
There is no EHR on the market today that does all of the steps required for physicians to successfully meet Stage 1 meaningful use criteria, according to an American Medical Association (AMA) statement released this week.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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