Missed Alarms, Health IT Setup on ECRI's List of Hospital Tech Risks

The ECRI Institute's annual Top 10 Health Technology Hazards report includes several health IT issues that hospitals should pay attention to next year to reduce patient harm. The report states that missed alarms -- which previously held the top spot for four years -- continues to be a major concern. FierceHealthIT et al.  Read More

Study: Weight-Loss Mobile Apps No More Effective Than Fliers

A new study published in the journal Obesity finds that mobile health applications were no more effective than informational handouts provided during a physician visit in promoting sustained weight loss. Unlike other weight-loss research, the study was conducted over two years and focused on individuals between ages 18 and 35. MobiHealthNews, Obesity.  Read More

New Studies Find Promise in Online Behavioral Therapy

A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal finds that online cognitive behavioral therapy can help treat anxiety, depression and emotional distress. Meanwhile, a study published in JAMA Psychiatry finds that online therapy can help prevent suicidal thoughts among new doctors. HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report, AP/Modern Healthcare. Read More

Medicare & Telemedicine: Your Top Reimbursement Questions, Answered

By Teresa Iafolla on Nov 04, 2015

When it comes to telemedicine, navigating the reimbursement process can be tricky. What rules do you need to follow to ensure you get paid? How do you know your patients are eligible for telemedicine? How does the billing process actually work?
We get these questions all the time at eVisit. While the answers vary a bit depending on which payer you’re talking about, it’s usually easiest to start with Medicare.
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Social Media, Data Analytics Enable Real-Time Flu Tracking

A new study published in PLOS Computational Biology finds that electronic health records, crowdsourced surveillance data, Google searches and tweets can be used to accurately track influenza outbreaks in real time. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital say their "ensemble model" reached a 90% correlation with CDC's two-week forecasts. Health IT Analytics, Boston Children's Hospital release. Read More

CMS' Final Physician Fee Schedule Rule Has Health IT Implications

CMS has released its 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule, which includes several health IT provisions. Among other things, the final rule adds new telemedicine codes for prolonged inpatient and end-stage renal disease care and expands Medicare's list of qualified telehealth providers to include certified registered nurse anesthetists. Politico's "Morning eHealth," CMS final rule.Read More

AHA: Inadequate Interoperability Hinders Several Aspects of Care

	A recent report by the American Hospital Association says that the U.S. health care system's lack of interoperability negatively affects care coordination, patient engagement, and reporting of public health, quality and safety data. AHA recommends that officials develop more specific standards for the use of health IT. EHR Intelligence, FierceHealthIT.Read More

OCR Launches HIPAA Privacy, Security Portal for App Developers

HHS' Office for Civil Rights has launched an online portal for mobile health technology developers to better understand issues related to HIPAA privacy and security rules. The platform allows registered users to submit questions, offer comments on other submissions and vote on the relevancy of topics. FierceHealthIT et al. Read More

CMS, ONC Unveil Final Rules for Meaningful Use, EHR Certification

CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT have released the final rules for Stage 3 of the meaningful use program, modifications for 2015 through 2017 and the 2015 Edition Health IT Certification Criteria. CMS also announced a 60-day public comment period to address lingering concerns from stakeholders. Health Data Management et al.
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ONC Releases Final Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology today released its final Interoperability Roadmap laying out near-term, mid-term, and long-term goals to advance the safe and secure exchange of electronic health information nationwide.

Through the use of interoperable health IT, the roadmap seeks to enable the healthcare industry’s transition from the current fee-for-service model to a value-based model.  Read More

11 Things to Know about the Meaningful Use Final Rule

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released a massive final rule making modifications to Stages 1 and 2 of the Electronic Health Records Meaningful Use program, covering 2015 through 2017. The rule also finalizes Stage 3. What are the key takeaways? We distill the top things to know for healthcare IT executives.  READ MORE

46 percent of docs aren’t aware of Medicare billing code for remote care

This code allows physicians to get reimbursed for non-face-to-face care if the patient has two or more chronic conditions that are expected to last more than one year. Other requirements include: the chronic conditions place the patient at significant risk of death, and that providers create, revise, or monitor a comprehensive care plan. Read More

ONC Releases Final Version of Five-Year Health IT Strategic Plan

	The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's final Federal Health IT Strategic Plan for 2015 to 2020 focuses on patient-centered data and care, rather than providers and electronic health record adoption. Industry groups expressed support for the plan but noted the importance of improving interoperability. Modern Healthcare et al. Read More

Patients with smartphones more likely to use online patient portals

RSi Communications Sep 25, 2015

Patients who own smartphones are five times as likely to use online patient portals. Indeed, 27% of smartphone owners access patient portals, whereas only 5% of those who lack smartphones do.
As many as 50% of U.S. households use patient portals infrequently, and 23% do not use these portals at all, according to a report by Parks Associates, presented in September at the second-annual Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers, which was held in in San Diego.  Read More

Study Finds Consumers Providers Differ on Preferred Uses of Health IT

A new study finds that while both consumers and providers view new health IT tools favorably, they differ in how patients should use such tools and who owns patients' electronic health records. For example, providers were less likely than consumers to be comfortable with patients using health IT tools for self-diagnosis and more likely to believe they owned patients' EHRs. FierceHealthIT, Journal of Medical Internet Research. Read More

Oncology Group Urges Congress To Bolster EHR Interoperability

The American Society for Clinical Oncology is calling on Congress to pass legislation that would ban information blocking and bolster interoperability of electronic health records. The group says cancer researchers often face barriers to sharing clinical trial data. Modern Healthcare, ASCO release. Read More

Nursing Group Touts Importance of Behavioral, Social Data in EHRs

The American Academy of Nursing is calling for the health care industry to adopt the Institute of Medicine's recommendations for incorporating behavioral and social health data into electronic health records. The group says health care stakeholders must work together to overcome barriers to including such data. Heath IT Analytics, Nursing Outlook.

Telemedicine Adoption Rates Up From Last Year

A new HIMSS Analytics study finds that the rate of telemedicine adoption among health care providers increased from 54.5% in 2014 to 57.7% in 2015. The most common use of telemedicine services was to fill gaps in care. FierceHealthIT, HIMSS Analytics study. Read More

VA To Launch New Vets.gov Portal To Integrate Department Websites

On Nov. 11, 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to launch an integrated online portal -- called Vets.gov -- that will consolidate VA's more than 1,000 veteran-related websites into a centralized hub to streamline users' access to the department's various services. Officials say it will take about one year for the site to be fully operational. FierceHealthIT et al. Read More

Health IT Tools Are Burdensome for Chronically Ill, Older Patients

A new study identifies several barriers keeping individuals with multiple chronic conditions from adopting health IT tools to track their data. The researchers say developers should focus on creating tools that "clearly reduce patient inconvenience and burden" and cut the workload associated with tracking health data. FierceMobileHealthcare, Journal of Medical Internet Research.

mHealth Text Messages Promote Medication Adherence

Nine of 13 articles show improvement in adherence rates with mobile health text messages

MONDAY, Aug. 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Mobile health (mHealth) short message service text messages can improve medication adherence, according to a review published online July 27 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
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Texas Law Will Bring Telemedicine Care to Children at School

Under a new law going into effect on Sept. 1, children enrolled in Texas' Medicaid program will be able to access virtual doctor visits at school while being supervised by a school nurse. However, some stakeholders are concerned that the services could put patient safety at risk. Texas Tribune. Read More

Updated Online Tool Aims To Help Users Find Info on Providers

An updated tool released by the Federation of State Medical Boards enables users to look up information on licensing and state medical board disciplinary actions for more than 900,000 providers. The tool, DocInfo, searches regularly updated data from 70 state medical and osteopathic boards. MedPage Today, FSMB release. Read More

33% of CVS MinuteClinic Telehealth Users Favor Remote Care

A new survey published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine finds that one-third of telehealth users at CVS' MinuteClinic preferred the remote video visit to an in-person visit. According to the survey, more than 95% of respondents were highly satisfied with the telehealth visit. FierceHealthIT, MobiHealthNews. Read More

Patient Portal Messages Not Yet Sufficient for Clinical Decisions

A Mayo Clinic study finds that patients and physicians say the use of secure portals to discuss blood pressure management is helpful. However, the information shared via portal messages rarely is sufficient for a physician to write a prescription. MobiHealthNews, Telemedicine and e-Health. Read More

Varying State Definitions of Telehealth Cause Confusion

Variations in state definitions of telehealth and telemedicine create "confusing environments" for users, according to a report by the Center for Connected Health Policy, FierceHealthIT reports.  ccording to the report, 48 states and Washington, D.C., have definitions of telehealth or telemedicine written into state law or their respective Medicaid programs (Bowman, FierceHealthIT, 8/4). Rhode Island and New Jersey are the only states that lack a definition for either term.

Meanwhile, the report found that states that do define the terms often alternate between telehealth and telemedicine. While there are some similarities, no two definitions are the same (CCHP report, July 2015).

The report also found that:

• Nine states reimburse for store-and-forward services, which enable electronic transmission of medical information;
• 16 states reimburse for remote patient monitoring (FierceHealthIT, 8/4); and
• Email, phone and fax are rarely accepted as reimbursable forms of telehealth services, unless combined with another method.

Findings on Licensure

In terms of licensing, the report found that:

• Eight state medical boards issue telehealth licenses that could allow providers to offer telehealth services in other states; and
• 11 states have joined the Federation of State Medical Boards' Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which allows for an expedited licensure process for providers to apply for licenses in other states.

The report also found that more than 200 telehealth-related measures were introduced across 42 states during the 2015 legislative session (CCHP report, July 2015).  Read More

Telehealth Can Help Special-Needs Kids Access Care

A new report suggests that telehealth can help address the barriers to care that special-needs children in California face, such as provider shortages and inadequate access to specialists. The report also offers recommendations to reduce challenges to implementing telehealth technologies. mHealth Intelligence, California Healthline's "Capitol Desk." Read More

Using Social Data to Build Our Evidence Base

RWJF- Jul 16, 2015, 2:22 PM, Posted by Alonzo L. Plough, Lori Melichar

Social media offers an exciting opportunity to innovate in health research—but the social data sandbox could use more players to conduct research, share datasets, and generate ideas about what we should be studying.  Read More

Researchers Examine Rural Pediatricians' Experiences With Telehealth

A new study published in the journal Telemedicine and e-Health looks at rural pediatricians' experiences and preferences when using telehealth for subspecialty care. The researchers identify several telehealth strategies that can be used to improve access to subspecialty pediatric care, including scheduling flexibility for providers. FierceHealthIT, Telemedicine and e-Health.  Read More

3 ways to improve communication and care coordination--from the patient and family's perspective

It's easy to write about the importance of effective provider-patient communication and care coordination. How fragmented care causes patients frustration, fear and can lead to readmissions. But it's another matter entirely to attempt to navigate the healthcare system and experience the lack (or at least perceived lack) of care coordination first-hand.  Read More