Navigation
HealthCare IT Hospital News
OIG issues fraud self-disclosure info online
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced Monday it has posted a video and audio podcast on the agency's self disclosure protocol, the most recent of its video and audio presentations on top healthcare compliance topics.
The new video and audio podcast shows how to disclose and resolve potential fraud issues identified by an organization's compliance program by using OIG’s Self-Disclosure Protocol.
Election Feature Content: No stickyInspector General review highlights IT challenges for HHS
The Office of Inspector General has provided a laundry list of management and performance challenges facing the Department of Health and Human Services. Many have IT implications, such as improving patient safety, preventing Medicare and Medicaid fraud and ensuring that IT systems and data are secure.
The overriding theme is that the department must strengthen its oversight capacity.
Every year, OIG identifies for HHS the most significant new and emerging challenges the department faces. In reveiwing 2011, OIG identified these top challenges going forward.
Election Feature Content: No stickyRemote health monitoring pegged at 3 million users by 2016
A burgeoning market for healthcare peripherals and increasing smartphone processing power will result in the number of patients monitored by mobile networks to rise to 3 million by 2016, according to a new report on the mHealth sector from Juniper Research.
Election Feature Content: No stickyVerizon partners with Health Evolution Partners to spur mHealth adoption
Health Evolution Partners, the private equity firm launched by former National Coordinator for Health IT David Brailer, MD, announced Monday it has partnered with Verizon to encourage innovation and adoption of connected health technologies.
Under the multiyear agreement, Health Evolution Partners (HEP) and Verizon Connected Healthcare Solutions will collaborate to identify and work with companies to spur the development and adoption of advanced information technology solutions and applications in areas such as mobile health, telemedicine and data management.
Election Feature Content: No stickyPlans in the making for Peace Corps EHR
The Peace Corps plans to acquire a comprehensive electronic health records system to serve its volunteers stationed in 77 developing countries.
The agency wants to develop a proof of concept electronic health record (EHR) and test it in a limited pilot by September and deploy it in fiscal 2013.
However, the Peace Corps faces challenges in establishing an EHR that can reach all its volunteer posts.
Election Feature Content: No stickyHIT figures prominently in GOP primary battle for Nevada
The GOP primary candidates head to Nevada on Saturday, a state with poor healthcare and few healthcare resources -- also one that has plunged in and begun implementing what it can of the Affordable Care Act, even though many in the state doesn't agree with the politics of it.
Election Feature Content: No stickyMostashari expects big year ahead for data exchange
Health information exchange will ramp up significantly in 2012 because the necessary elements of interoperability will be in place, ONC chief Farzad Mostashari, told the Health IT Policy Committee at a meeting Feb. 1.
The health information exchange strategy means finally bringing together the standards, identity authentication certificates, governance for rules of the road, and the availability of directories or digital provider phone books.
AMA, AHIMA at odds on ICD-10
While the American Medical Association (AMA) is calling for a halt to ICD-10, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is countering by urging all to stay the course toward the Oct. 1, 2013 deadline.
In the letter sent Thursday to Department of Health and Humans Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius., AMA CEO James Madara, MD urged HHS “to make good on its commitment to improve the regulatory climate for physicians.”
Minnesota: A healthy appreciation for HIT
Minnesota is home to the Mayo Clinic – a world-renowned institution for medical care, research and education, employing more than 3,700 of the smartest physicians and scientists and scientists in the world and caring for patients from across the globe.
5 issues affecting cloud service quality and performance
As the industry is slowly changing the way it serves patients, cloud computing has become a way to reduce costs, improve services and simplify management. But with the growing use of cloud service come concerns about its performance and overall quality, said Daniel Joseph Barry, vice president of marketing at Napatech.
FairWarning announces 2011 milestones
FairWarning, supplier of cross-platform healthcare privacy auditing solutions for EHRs, has announced its 2011 milestones. FairWarning solutions are now in use in over 800 hospitals and 2,500 clinics across the U.K., United States, Canada and France.
NHS Scotland selected FairWarning for every board throughout Scotland as well as privacy protection for the country’s HIE and Emergency Care Summary. HCA International, London’s top private hospital group, has chosen FairWarning Privacy Breach Detection to enhance patient privacy.
Ireland gets upgrade for patient admin system
IMS MAXIMS has implemented the latest version of its Irish patient administration system across more than 50 healthcare organizations in the country. The upgrades will allow Ireland’s hospitals to meet national requirements and support advances announced by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to improve patient care.
Anthelio, Healthland to help bring EHRs to rural hospitals
Anthelio has partnered with Healthland, which implements technology in rural community and critical access hospitals, to help migrate Healthland clients to its new Centriq EHR.
Greater Houston HIE changes name, hires new leader
Greater Houston Healthconnect, formerly known as Greater Houston Health Information Exchange, has named James Langabeer president and CEO, Langabeer will lead the organization's overall strategy and direction and examine new growth opportunities.
Premier, Verisk Health offer hospitals data for care improvement
The Premier healthcare alliance has joined with Verisk Health, which develops risk assessment and decision analytics technology, to offer data to hospitals and health systems meant to help better measure the health of their communities and develop new care models.
Healthcare technology stocks poised for modest growth
Healthcare technology stocks don’t have the obvious roadblocks facing many other healthcare sectors in 2012, according to industry analysts who spoke to an audience of 600 at the Nashville Health Care Council on Feb. 1.
Unlike many healthcare niches, health IT companies have favorable tailwinds, such as the continuing push for ICD-10 conversion. But the analysts emphasized that the industry overall is poised for modest growth at best.
10 tips to prepare for an OCR audit
It’s one thing to prepare your organization with a solid defense against a potential privacy breach. Add in an HHS/OCR audit or investigation, and it becomes crucial that organizations take the necessary steps to comply with the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification rules.
Mahmood Sher-Jan, vice president of product management at ID Experts, and Chris Apgar, president and CEO at Apgar and Associates, outline 10 tips for preparing for an OCR audit.
Greenway set for IPO
Facebook's expected IPO filing may be the talk of Wall Street this week, but electronic health records and practice management firm Greenway Medical Technologies is poised to make some waves of its own with an $80 million initial public offering set for Thursday.
Virtual coaches keep overweight people on track
Overweight people who make use of web-based virtual coaches show more commitment to improving their health than those who don’t, according to a new study by the Center for Connected Health and Massachusetts General Hospital.
The study gives added weight to the ability of mobile health tools to change unhealthy behaviors in the home, a key factor in their acceptance by physicians and health plans as a means of promoting wellness and helping people with chronic conditions.
Health data breaches up 97 percent in 2011
Health data breaches in the U.S. increased 97 percent in 2011 over the year before, according to a new report by Redspin, a leading provider of IT security assessments.
The annual survey, "Breach Report 2011, Protected Health Information,” found breaches in all 50 states, and examined a total of 385 incidents affecting over 19 million individuals since the HITECH Act's breach notification rule went into effect in August 2009.