Consumers weigh in on top 10 meaningful use arguments

A Washington-based advocacy group has collected consumer and employer perspectives on the top 10 arguments concerning meaningful use.  And with only a week left before the public comment period on meaningful use comes to a close, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is urging the public to weigh in with their own thoughts.

Posted on 8 March 2010 | 8:24 am

Social media a "game changer" for recruitment

Employing a video of a stealthy gorilla on a basketball court, a rather unenlightened 1938 rejection letter from Walt Disney, and a story about some monkeys and an electric banana, Dan DeMaioNewton, director of strategy and business development at Monster Worldwide, tried to demonstrate to HR and recruitment managers just how much the hiring game has changed nowadays at Tuesday afternoon's View from the Top session, "Finding Keepers: The New Rules for Recruiting Healthcare IT Talent."

Posted on 3 March 2010 | 7:22 am

Blumenthal unveils proposed certification rule at HIMSS10

David Blumenthal, MD, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, surprised a packed hall of attendees Tuesday afternoon at HIMSS10 with the release of the notice of proposed rulemaking on certification.

Blumenthal said he wasn't aware that the rule would be unveiled that day, but as hundreds gathered to hear the latest news from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, he agreed the timing was right.

Posted on 2 March 2010 | 2:31 pm

HIMSS10 in photos: Day one

With "meaningful use" on the mind of every HIMSS10 attendee, Mark Leavitt, MD, CCHIT chair, presented at an EHR Certification Town Hall.

Posted on 1 March 2010 | 6:34 pm

White House calls for new health IT task force

The White House on Friday called for the creation of a government-wide task force to strengthen coordination of healthcare IT among federal agencies that hold key roles in carrying out the administration's plans for a digital healthcare system.

The plan, described in a memo from Office of Management & Budget director Peter Orzsag and Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius, sets up a way for agencies with heavy healthcare responsibilities to participate in planning healthcare IT projects set in motion by passage of the HITECH Act last year.

Posted on 23 February 2010 | 8:09 am

Top 10 health law issues for 2010

With 2010 bringing a heightened focus on healthcare compliance, reform efforts and enforcement, providers should be aware of the legal ramifications that surround these issues, says law expert Stephen W. Bernstein.

Bernstein, a partner at international firm McDermott Will & Emery LLP,  outlines the top ten health law issues for 2010. At number five is healthcare information technology.

1. Stark Law Self-Disclosure

Posted on 19 February 2010 | 8:47 am

Fast Company selects top innovators in healthcare

GE, athenahealth, and Sermo are among the top 10 innovative healthcare companies named by Fast Company. Kaiser Permanente is the sole healthcare provider on the list.

Posted on 19 February 2010 | 8:29 am

Docs using mobile apps at the point of care

The introduction of a medical check list for the iPhone could be a benefit to providers as mobile technology is quickly being integrated into the care process.

Peter Waegemann, vice president of development for the mHealth Initiative, Inc. says so many health professionals have started using smartphones to help administer better care that some say they "don’t know how colleagues manage without them."

Posted on 18 February 2010 | 7:30 am

Survey provides "snapshot" of health IT jobs

Health professionals believe that between 50,000 and 200,000 new jobs will be created in health IT by the year 2015, according to a recent survey.

Posted on 17 February 2010 | 8:42 am

Panel proposes reducing meaningful use measures

Members of a federal health IT advisory group last week proposed to relax the number of measures that would be required for healthcare providers to demonstrate "meaningful use" of electronic health record systems.

The Health and Human Service Department's meaningful use workgroup crafted an approach members said strike a "middle ground" between too few and too onerous a set of measures of meaningful use necessary to qualify providers for financial incentives under HHS's health IT adoption plan.

Posted on 16 February 2010 | 7:56 am