EMR and EHR
HIMSS Pushes for National Patient Identifier System
An estimated 14 percent of medical records contain incorrect patient information. Because of this, deadly errors can occur. In an effort to cut back on these errors, HIMSS is trying to implement a national patient identifier system. A single identifier isn’t going to solve problems, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Dr. Nick, CMIO of Nuance Talks About Their Acquisition of Quantim and J.A. Thomas & Associates
In this interview, Dr. Nick discusses an important string of acquisitions by Nuance. This is an interesting move by Nuance and Dr. Nick does a good job of describing the vision of Nuance going forward with these acquisitions and their view of how healthcare documentation will happen in the future.
EMR Thoughts
Allscripts May Sell Out To Private Equity Buyer & Allscripts to Discontinue MyWay EHR
It has been a really busy week for Allscripts. First came the news that Allscripts was considering a sell to a Private Equity Buyer. This news is harder to read since it could mean a big sell or it could just be posturing. In what I think is even bigger news is that Allscripts is discontinuing their MyWay EHR. This is a big move on Allscripts part. It’s a necessary decision by Allscripts because they have too many EHR software to manage, but it’s going to leave a lot of doctors and a lot of VARs scrambling.
EMR, EHR and Healthcare IT News
HIMSS Opposes Call for Suspension of EHR Incentive Program
We’ll be writing some more pieces soon on the members of Congress that are calling for a halt on the HITECH Act and payment of EHR incentives. However, this was HIMSS’ response to the request to halt EHR incentive payments. It’s not a surprising response, but I do like the data that HIMSS provides to the conversation. Most people see this move as a political one, and not necessarily one that puts the HITECH EHR incentives at risk.
Hospital EMR and EHR
Smart Bed Technology Interview with Casey Pittock of BAM Labs
Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Bam Labs was recently interviewed over at Hospital EMR and EHR. BAM Labs created the Smart Bed, a mat that is placed under a person’s mattress that can measure heart rate, breathing rate, and motion. Pittock discusses how it was created, the accuracy of it, and how providers can interact with the data.
Meaningful Health IT News
Attending Health 2.0? Donate Your Old Smartphone
If you have plans to attend Health 2.0 next week, be sure to bring along any old smartphones. Health eVillages will take the device and load onto it different medical materials and sent to doctors that are in third world countries. There are sites for Health eVillage in the countries of Haiti, China, Kenya, and Uganda, with plans to expand to more.
Wired EMR and EHR
There are many mHealth creations coming out at a rapid pace. At first glance, these innovations seem incredible and life-changing. However, without supporting documents and proof of the effectiveness, the money and time that goes into implementing certain technologies might not be worth it. This post talks about a home monitor for CHF, and although it’s a great idea, unless a patient is really dedicated to following all the alerts, it may not be effective. Technology needs to be reliable and proven to work before it should be recommended for use.
Smart Phone Health Care
Remotoscope – Diagnose Ear Infections at Home Using Your iPhone
Many children get ear infections, and it’s no fun taking them to the doctor if the diagnosis of one is uncertain. Luckily, a new tool has been invented to help parents and physicians diagnose from home. The tool is a detachable clip that turns a smart phone into otoscope, and parents can take a picture of their child’s eardrum to send to their physician for further analysis.
The Allscripts abandonment wouldn’t be quite so bad if they provided a well thought out and tested migration path – and toolset, to go from old to new. It would also help if people had more confidence in the new then what I’ve seen expressed online.