NYCLU Demands New York Allow Patient Control in Data Sharing

In a new report, the New York Civil Liberties Union wants to give patients the rights to control which doctors see their medical information or allow them to opt out all together.  eWeek

Needles in a haystack: Seeking knowledge with clinical informatics

See http://www.pwc.com/us/hitinformatics for a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).  In the report, “Clinical informatics is a nascent, booming science that melds technology, patient care and financial reporting, and partnership.”

• Download: Needles in a haystack: Seeking knowledge with clinical informatics (1.8mb)

• Download: The chart pack (539kb)

Providing Tablets to Medical Residents Could Improve Care

An Archives of Internal Medicine study suggests that providing tablet computers to medical residents could improve efficiency and care coordination. Nearly 90% of surveyed residents who received an iPad said they used the mobile device for clinical duties. CMIO et al.

RWJF: Pioneer-Funded Work Featured in Inaugural Issue of Games for Health Journal

To find out more about health games: 

• Read the inaugural issue of the Games for Health Journal.
• Read about Pioneer's investments in advancing the field of health games.
• Read the Pioneering Ideas blog post on Debra Lieberman’s interview in Inside Healthcare IT.
• Get Paul Tarini’s take on the power of health games on Pioneering Ideas.

Smartphone surveys have edge in developing world

Using smartphones to detect diseases in the developing world has proven not only to be less expensive, but the data are more accurate and readily available than traditional paper survey methods, a new study shows.  Read more

What Do Clinicians Find Frustrating About the Implementation of New Health IT Systems?

Thirty-seven percent of surveyed health care providers said the implementation of new health IT systems can be frustrating because it requires the memorization of additional passwords, and 31% said new health IT systems can make their work processes take longer, according to a survey by CDW Healthcare.  More

Tools for Meaningful Use Stage 2

Newly posted Publicly available tools for Meaningful Use Stage 2

Meaningful Use - the Whiteboard Story

Bookmark version of the ONC proposed rule on Standards and Certification

Bookmark version of the CMS proposed rule on Meaningful Use Stage 2

iPad saves man's life

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota say use of a patient's iPad saved his life. Andy McMonigle's iPad contained his medical records, leading to a quick diagnosis of a blocked heart artery and prompted emergency surgery. The new iPad may not save your life, but maybe it'll make your life easier.  More

iPhone matches computer workstations in remote opthalmology evaluation in diabetic retinopathy

www.imedicalapps.com  mHealth Research Digest by Tim Bredrup Teleophthalmology, the electronic exchange of ophthalmic information to provide remote eye care services, has conventionally been executed on a standard office computer workstation. However, ophthalmologists in Pittsburgh, PA recently compared the diagnostic capability of an iP...See More

Technology and Aging Parents

You control an Internet-enabled camera from a distance with an iOS gadget or PC. Take a look here. 

You can tilt and pan the camera, talk with your mom using the 2-way audio capability or even enable night viewing with the infrared mode. Set up motion and sound alerts to notify you if there's a crisis.
Up to four people can use one camera, so you can have others help you with the monitoring. You can control multiple cameras as well, so you aren't limited to watching one room in your mom's house. Technology can help with many medical conditions. Here are some others that you might find interesting.

• Keeping tabs on a loved one with Alzheimer's isn't easy.
  Here are some gadgets that can help you track them. >>
• Medical bracelets are essential for anyone with a serious condition.
  Find out about some high-tech solutions to make medical bracelets more effective. >>
• Technology isn't just for emergencies. It's great for enabling communication.
  Learn what iPad apps can help those with autism communicate more clearly. >>

Usability of Electronic Health Records

The National Institute of Standards and Technology released its final guidance on NISTIR 7804 "Technical Evaluation, Testing and Validation of the Usability of Electronic Health Records,” (external link<http://www.nist.gov/healthcare/usability/index.cfm>) which can be viewed online.

NIST also launched a Wiki  (external link<http://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-hit/bin/view/HealthIT/WebHome>) to support collaboration among all stakeholders in developing tools for measuring and evaluating the usability of Health IT systems.

Mind the Information Gap

Study Finds Patients Not Yet Realizing Benefits from EHRs

Among the key findings:

• Providers vary widely in the amount of EHR information they allow patients to view.
• Patients are not fully informed, particularly in their own language, about how to use EHR portals.
• Patients have little control over the privacy of their records.

  The complete article is available free of charge through CHCF.org.

ONC Makes Web Site More User-Friendly

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has made finding information on its Web site easier.  The new Policymakers and Researchers section gives quick access to Stage 2 meaningful use information including the rules More

Health Information Technology: How Fast Is It Spreading, And Is The Nation Reaping The Benefits?

The March 2012 issue of Health Affairs explores how the nation's progress in health IT adoption is progressing Click for More

Physicians and hospitals must make websites more patient-friendly, study says

A study in the January/February issue of the Journal of Healthcare Management looked at what makes an effective website and measured how some of the nation's hospitals and health systems are doing. amed

Innovative Nurse" Offers High Tech Suggestions for Nursing Students

Unlike nursing grads from early 2000, who carried charts, diagrams, notepads and assorted equipment in their book bags, today's new technology has lightened student's load. One nursing entrepreneur has developed an "Innovative Nurse" mobile app to improve the studies of today's nursing students.  RWJF

500 mobile health projects worldwide

A study of mobile health in 12 different countries, including the US, Norway, Thailand, and India,  have revealed a number of metrics across a range of mobile health opportunities.  Many projects are struggling with achieving scale. We need to commit to common standards, increase access to mobile services and document the impact of mobile health. Keep reading>>

Telemonitoring System Reduced Readmission Rates, Evaluation Finds

30-day hospital readmission rates by 44% among patients with congestive heart failure, according to Geisinger's evaluation of the system. The program uses an interactive voice response system. CMIO et al.

Social media an "ethical duty" for docs

Doctors have an "ethical duty" to use the communication channels used by their patients to provide them with good medical advice beyond the occasional ten minute consultation. ehi Mobile

6 New Gadgets Helping People With Disabilities

The 27th Annual International Tech and Persons With Disabilities Conference is underway in San Diego. At the convention, tech companies unveil gadgets that help people living with disabilities in their daily lives.  More

How a Team of Doctors Uses Social Media to Drive Awareness and Save Lives

Mashable spoke with Sky LaBrot, executive director of operations for nonprofit mobile medical program Floating Doctors. Since its launch in 2008, the Floating Doctors program has served along the coasts of the Eastern Caribbean and Central America by boat — setting up mobile clinics in impoverished communities that are battling tropical disease. Twitter (and, to a lesser extent, Facebook) has become an essential tool to spread awareness of the project and to keep it running, particularly in three key areas of their day-to-day lives at sea and in the clinics.  More

MU Stage 2 proposal is strong on patient engagement

Using secure electronic messaging to communicate with patients will be a core objective for physicians. And CMS followed the Health IT Policy Committee’s recommendations here. Just as meaningful use has become part of the lexicon, I think we are all going to get used to saying, “view online, download, and transmit.”  More

What's New at AHRQ: IT 3/2/12

Health Information Technology

ICU nurses show increasing acceptance of electronic health records
Pharmacists have limited awareness of the capabilities of their pharmacy information systems
Study uncovers the time spent on writing and viewing hospital electronic health records
Electronic health records in community health centers provide a better picture of care than insurance claims data

How Valuable Do Patients in Paper-Based Practices Consider a Transition to EHRs?

Among patients whose physicians use paper health records, about 73% said they would find it very valuable or somewhat valuable if their physician adopted an electronic health record system, while about 28% said they would find it not very valuable or not valuable at all, according to a National Partnership for Women & Families survey conducted by Harris Interactive. More

VA Hospitals Turning to Telehealth Technology To Monitor ICU Patients

Hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs are using telehealth technology to improve patient monitoring in intensive care units. Such tools allow remote health care providers to view live video of patients and access electronic health records.  More

CMS Taps Text4baby To Boost Enrollment in Medicaid, CHIP

CMS announced a new initiative to promote enrollment in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program through the Text4baby campaign. As part of the initiative, pregnant women and new mothers receiving text messages through Text4baby also will receive messages about signing up for Medicaid and CHIP. Minneapolis Star Tribune's "Patent Pending" et al.

Survey analyzes barriers to telemedicine in acute care settings

mHealth Research Digest with Tim Bredrup In an attempt to understand the barriers and motivational factors of telemedicine in acute care units, C3O Medical Group (Ojai, California) recently conducted a survey of emergency and critical care remote presence telemedicine users to find out what motivates and also impedes ...More

Online Program Bests Traditional Therapy in Treating Chronic Fatigue

A new study published in the journal Lancet finds that teenagers who participated in an online cognitive behavioral therapy program were more likely to report improvements in chronic fatigue symptoms than teens receiving traditional therapy.More

Joslin Diabetes Center launches "Joslin Everywhere" initiative

Boston-based Joslin Diabetes Center is launching a mobile diabetes management initiative called “Joslin Everywhere” that connects physicians and patients via an online platform and equips patients with connected blood glucose meters to track glucose readings.More

No mobility in your strategy? Then you don’t have a strategy

“If you don’t have mobility in your strategy, then you don’t have a strategy,”

Mobility seems to be on the minds of more than just the most advanced health IT shops. According to the survey, mobility and mobile devices moved up to the No. 2 spot this year among the primary IT infrastructure focus ...More