Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro Battery Update

I would be remiss if I didn't post an Apple NoteBook battery topic. SV

Apple has recently discovered that some batteries used in its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks may have battery performance issues. Apple is offering a software update that is designed to improve battery performance.

Apple

HHS Joins International Partners to Promote Electronic Health Records Standards

We may be late to the party, but we can still make a splash. SV

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the United States will participate in an international effort to encourage more rapid development and worldwide adoption of standard clinical terminology for electronic health records.

The United States is one of nine charter members of the new International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO), which has acquired Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED) Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Other charter members are from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Membership is open to all countries.

HHS

CIGNA HealthCare to Offer Quicken Health, Simplifying Health Care Financial Management in 2008

As more health savings accounts become more prevalent, patients will need a product like this to manage their funds reliably. It's good to see a managed care company provide this to its members. SV


Intuit

Minnesota's Community Health Information Collaborative (CHIC) Selects Zix Corporation's Email Encryption Service for New Information Exchange

Secure communication is a key requirement for the acceptance of HIT by the healthcare community and the public. Zixcorp has a solid reputation in this field. SV


Zixcorp

Acer notebook recall of Sony Batteries

We've already posted recalls for Fujitsu,Gateway,Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba. Are there any other major notebooks that are using Sony batteries?
Please let us know. SV

San Jose, Calif., April 25, 2007 – Acer America, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, today announced a voluntary recall of approximately 27,000 rechargeable lithium ion batteries containing battery cells manufactured by Sony Energy Devices Corp. Under certain circumstances, these batteries may overheat and create a potential fire hazard. As announced previously by the CPSC, there have been 16 reports of notebook batteries overheating. These reports were associated with earlier recalls by other notebook computer manufacturers of batteries containing these Sony cells. None of these reports involved batteries in Acer notebook computers, however, the company is cooperating with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Sony to act in the interest of customer safety.


Acer

Sony recalls

Access to patients' medication history with browsers and EHRs using ICERx and SureScripts during disasters

This will be an amazing resource and is just the first of many steps to improving the nation's safety net using Information Technology.SV

As a physician, you have a critical need to be able to access evacuees medication histories to provide continuity of care in the event of a disaster. ICERx, a secure web site operated by private organizations and made possible with the assistance of federal, state, and local governments, provides you with a secure portal to obtain this information.

* Evacuee outpatient prescription history
* drug name and dosage
* quantity and day supply
* name of pharmacy that filled the script
* name of provider who wrote the script
* Available patient clinical alerts
* drug interaction alerts
* therapeutic duplication alerts
* elderly alerts
* Clinical Pharmacology® drug reference information
* drug monographs
* interaction reports
* drug identifier tool

http://www.icerx.org/doctors.htm

Bipartisan National Health Information Incentive Act


Let's hear it for Congressmen Charles Gonzalez (TX-20) and Phil Gingrey (GA-11.
Contact your elected officials and urge support! SV

National Health Information Incentive Act of 2005 - Establishes within the executive office of the President an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to add a new part D (Standards for Building The National Health Information Infrastructure) to direct the Secretary to develop or adopt standards for transactions and data elements for such transactions to enable the creation of a national health care information infrastructure.

Requires the Secretary to include additional Medicare payment incentives to assure small health care providers have the capability to move toward a national health care information infrastructure by acquiring electronic health record systems and other health information technologies that meet such standards.

Provides for optional financial incentives to small health care providers and entities to implement a national health information infrastructure.

Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make grants to small health care providers and entities for expenditures relating to the implementation of a national health information infrastructure; and (2) make and guarantee loans to small health care providers for the purpose of assisting them to implement, design, test, acquire, and adopt electronic health records and other health information technologies.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a refundable credit for a portion of the expenses of for establishing a health care information technology system (infrastructure).

Library of Congress

New York City Department Of Health And Mental Hygiene Selects eClinicalWorks Unified EMR/PM Solution


This a good move for NYC. As a provider of health care to the poor, NYC and other cities are seeing the value of bringing Electronic Health Records to physicians. Patients will benefit through the efficiences that only EHRs can provide. The City will benefit by having a healthier populace at a lower long term budget. Physicians will of course be able to apply the EHR benefits to their Commercial and Medicare patients as well especially with the features incorporated in the TCNY (Take Care NY upgrade)! SV

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - April 16, 2007 - eClinicalWorks, a market leader in unified EMR/PM systems, today announced that the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has chosen eClinicalWorks unified electronic medical records (EMR) and practice management (PM) in a $19.8 million deal as part of its Primary Care Information Project (PCIP) initiative. Initially, 1300 physicians serving the City's neediest communities are implementing eClinicalWorks EMR/PM, with the potential of expanding to additional providers. Participating physicians will also have access to eClinicalWorks Patient Portal to engage City physicians and their patients in more effective medical management.

eClinicalWorks

Walmart looking into common Electronic Health Record for its clinics


The EHR chosen by Walmart could potentially influence the choice of other retailers as well as local health care providers. SV

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is forecasting more than 6,600 in-store medical clinics will open their doors in the next five years in retailers nationwide, a company official said on Thursday.

"I think it's an indication of how bullish individuals (chief executives of clinics and retailers) are," Alicia Ledlie, senior director for Wal-Mart's health business development, said at a health care retailers convention in Orlando.

With 75 clinics in Wal-Mart stores in 12 states, the company has ended its pilot program and plans a faster roll-out of additional clinics nationwide.


Reuters

State of Washington promotes the use of Electronic Health Records

The measure was approved 61-34. House Health Care and Wellness Committee Chairwoman Rep. Eileen Cody, D-Seattle, said she expects the Senate to sign off on the changes, with the bill then going to the governor.

Gov. Christine Gregoire's health-care adviser, Christina Hulet, said the governor is on board with the House version of the bill.

The measure is based on the 16 recommendations made by the governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access.

Among other things, the measure would encourage care that has been proved to work, start health-promotion programs for state employees, and allow online access to the University of Washington Health Science Library.

It also encourages the use of electronic medical records, which supporters say will improve safety and lower costs, while promoting better care of patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes.

The Seattle Times

Four Florida Health Plans,Provider groups and Rx-Hub form an organization to promote e-Prescribing

Several Florida health plans and provider organizations are working together to provide Floridians access to improved health, safety and affordability through electronic prescribing.

The goal is to collaborate and oversee the adoption of electronic prescriptions in Florida. Retail pharmacy chains, state and regional health plans and core technology vendors will all be targeted by the group to collaborate on adopting e-prescribing in Florida.

The steering committee for ePrescribe Florida is made up of representatives from Jacksonville-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Kentucky-based Humana (NYSE: HUM), UnitedHealthcare and Florida-based AvMed.

Tampa Bay Business Journal

PRN Newswire

CMS:CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES LAUNCHES DOQ-IT UNIVERSITY


This is an excellent training system that can be done at your leisure.
See you at the Quad.SV

NEW INTERACTIVE LEARNING TOOL EDUCATES PHYSICIANS IN THE ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS AND CARE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES


The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced the national launch of DOQ-IT(Doctor’s Office Quality Information Technology) University, or DOQ-IT U, to support health information technology (HIT) in physicians’ offices.

DOQ-IT U is an interactive, Web-based tool designed to provide solo and small-to-medium sized physician practices with the education for successful HIT adoption, including lessons on culture change, vendor selection and operational redesign, along with clinical processes. The nationally available e-learning system is available at no charge.



“CMS is pleased to launch DOQ-IT University, the first of its kind e-learning platform, to provide assistance to physicians across the United States in the adoption and implementation of electronic health records and care management practices,” said CMS Acting Administrator Leslie V. Norwalk, Esq. “DOQ-IT U’s interactive platform, self-paced curriculum, and associated tools provide physicians with easy access to the resources they need to help ensure that patients receive the highest quality of care at all times.”

Qualitynet.org

CIGNA HealthCare for Seniors to Offer Free e-Visits Through RelayHealth®


This is a great recognition of the value of e-Visits and of the RelayHealth service. We currently have patients who have taken advantage of Patient Portals to communicate with the practice.Hopefully this service will be offered nationwide.SV


PHOENIX, April 10, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CIGNA HealthCare for Seniors announced today that it will begin to offer free electronic visits (e- Visits) and other online health care services through the RelayHealth® network, McKesson's secure online connectivity service. CIGNA HealthCare for Seniors is the first Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plan in Arizona to provide coverage for e-Visits through its physician network, CIGNA Medical Group (CMG). CMG is currently offering online health care services (including e-Visits at a nominal charge), to its non-Medicare patients.

CIGNA

Florida may connect Electronic Medical Records Statewide


This will not be an easy task with multiple EHR programs but will perhaps additional impetus to improve interoperability. SV


Bills advancing through the state Legislature would expand local electronic medical record-sharing programs into a single, statewide network.

The Tampa Tribune

2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative PowerPoint_ Module One is now available

This PowerPoint presentation provides a good overview. SV

CMS

Summa Health Network:Grant Money and Support for Docs

Here is one pathway for doctors who would rather not go it alone.SV

Summa Health Network, the contracting arm of Summa Health System that negotiates with insurers on behalf of Summa hospitals and participating doctors, provided a $22,500 grant to help the practice buy the $60,000 system.

Summa also provided technical assistance, including access to its server to safely store the electronic patient records.

About 200 doctors in the Akron area have made similar deals with Summa.

Ohio.com

eClinicalWorks goes to Harvard Business School

Congratulations. SV

eClinicalWorks: The Paths to Growth

Publication Date: Dec 22, 2006
Availability: In Stock
Author(s): Robert F. Higgins, Mark Rennella

Description:

In January, 2006, eClinicalWorks (eCW) had an acquisition opportunity that could fundamentally change the way they had done business since the inception of the company in 1999. eClinicalWorks was a privately run business in the healthcare information technology field that took in $25 million in revenue in 2005. Revenues for 2006 were projected to reach $40 million. This successful electronic medical record (EMR) company had grown thanks to their reliable software and responsive customer service. The company had achieved this growth without the help of any outside financing. The five co-founders of eCW, who treated each other like an extended family, invested years of sweat equity and hard work to shape eCW as they wanted. They were also proud of their company culture, which de-emphasized traditional company hierarchies and encouraged independent thinking and cooperative working arrangements across departments. Keeping the company private, in their view, had helped them to maintain this culture. The opportunity to acquire another EMR company offered eCW the chance to grow quickly in an industry that is estimated to take in more than $40 billion in overall revenues in 2007. But this acquisition would require outside financing of some sort. Was this the moment to accelerate the rate of growth to which eCW had become accustomed--catching up with, rather than anticipating, how their customer base would expand? Or should they maintain the same approach that had worked so well since 1999?

Harvard Business Online

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine has chosen VISTA from DSS for its Electronic Health Record System

DSS stands for Document Storage System. SV

"DSS® specializes in the computerization of patient medical records. Our core specialty within the medical network environment is building GUI interface applications that insert, update and retrieve patient data that is held in an M (MUMPS) data repository or SQL database system."

DSS

TTUHSC

Technorati Profile

Misys renews focus on physicians'practices

Hospital based business is virtually put on hold as the company focuses on practices with nine or few physicians. SV


News & Observer

Former President Bill Clinton backs electronic health records

Bill Clinton recently commented positively on EHRS and the potential improvements in efficiency at the recent CTIA Wireless trade show. SV

Washington Post

Walmart, Blue Cross Blue Shield, University of Arkansas partner to create the Center for Innovation in Health Care Logistics


Here is more evidence that Big Business and Managed Care see a need to improve the current health care delivery system. Hopefully the roster will include members of Medical Community as well. SV

The Center for Innovation in Health Care Logistics will be dedicated to conducting research aimed at identifying and addressing gaps and roadblocks in the application and delivery of health information technology, and highlighting and replicating proven applications that are working to benefit patients and providers.

The goal of the Center’s work is to put the right materials in the hands of doctors and nurses where and when they need them; it also aims to eliminate the threat of medical errors arising from wasteful and unreliable practices in health care supply networks.

Walmart