Two research studies released in early October on efforts to reduce hospital readmissions reached the same conclusion: crafting collaborative relationships with community-based caregivers to boost patient care is key in order to reduce hospital readmissions. Medicare payments for hospital readmissions cost the federal government about $26 billion annually, with more than half that expenditure linked to avoidable hospitalizations, according to
Government
30Oct
Stuart Bracken, featured guest on Top Docs Radio Show
Bioscape Digital’s CEO Stuart Bracken was a featured guest on Top Docs Radio Show on October 28th, 2014, hosted by Charles Hall. CEO’s Diana Keough of ShareWIK.com and Sahil Patel of ER Express also were featured guests on the show. Listen to the podcast here. During the show, Mr. Hall asked numerous questions that allowed
Patient Feedback Improves Accuracy of EHRs, Study Finds
Enabling patients to provide feedback on the medication lists in their medical records can improve the accuracy of the patients’ medical records, according to a new study published in eGems (Generating Evidence and Methods to Improve Patient Outcomes). The researchers found that patients generally were “eager” to offer feedback on their EHRs, and provided accurate and useful information about
Meeting MU Stage 2 Still a Challenge in Hospitals
A new research study, published in a recent issue of Health Affairs, analyzed the implementation of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems in hospitals since the enactment of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH). The study discovered that the number of hospitals that have implemented a basic or extensive EHR system has increased steadily since 2010 but few
ICD-10 compliance date finalized
ICD-10, the new code set to be used for report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures, has now been given a finalized deadline. The announcement came on the back of an earlier debate concerning the delay of ICD-10 to at least 2015. Providers, payers and clearinghouses will need to comply with ICD-10 by October 2015, as
Fed’s take on Healthcare.gov failure
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released an account of how the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) failed in its task of setting up Healthcare.gov. The blame? Agile development, the popular methodology for software development. The GAO report said that CMS had allowed contractors to use agile development, despite the CMS’s lack of
FTC’s Brill: Health app data collection need regulations
One Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioner, Julie Brill, has voiced heavy concerns for the collection and utilization of health data on apps. Brill feels the need for heavy restrictions, highlighting privacy concerns as with the infamous Target of a pregnant teen. (The company sent coupons for maternity products to the teen’s father, who had been
Wanted: New Healthcare.gov keeper
The White House has released its solicitation for a firm to promptly upgrade Healthcare.gov’s and keep it running. The health insurance exchange made a poor showing at launch. Heavy traffic crippled the site accessibility and it soon became a contention for politics. The site has also drawn comparisons and worry about its viability next to eHealthInsurance,
Govt investments and cloud to drive CPOE boom
A new research from Micro Monitor reported that the Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) market for the U.S. is set to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2013 to 2018, eventually reaching $771.2 million in 2018 rom $552.9 million in 2013. The demand for this growth would come from “emergency healthcare service”, on the back of government initiatives
FSMB paving way for Telemedicine
The Federation of State Medical Boards is now proposing a compact that will allow board-certified doctors to practice in multiple states, effectively opening more doors to telemedicine. Currently, there are a number of interstate agreements in place but this legislation, if passed, will allow the participation of all states. A committee is also looking into
