Is Your Privacy Worth 50 Foiled Terror Plots?
Postal Service Eyes Cuba
Tangherlini As GSA's Mr. Fix-It?
Lew Cleans Up Signature for the Nation's Currency
The Plan to Open More Military Jobs to Women
Should Leaders Ever Lie?
AUTHOR ARCHIVES
John Pulley
John Pulley has written the Health IT Update blog since May 2011. Prior to becoming a regular contributor to Nextgov, he covered technology for Federal Computer Week and Government Health IT magazines. He has written about government for Federal Times and Air Force Times, as well. Pulley has worked in journalism for more than 20 years. He began his career covering local government for regional newspapers. In addition, he served as a writer and senior editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education for seven years. In 2006, he founded The Pulley Group, an editorial services agency.
Health Privacy by the Numbers
August 18, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
I'm married with children, so the concept of personal privacy is one that I abandoned years go. Even so, I was somewhat surprised to learn that I am at "high risk" for having my private health information breached. On a scale of zero to 60, with 25 being the threshold ...
Health IT: Big Costs, Big Savings
August 17, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
The consulting firm McKinsey & Co. has identified three characteristics of successful health IT rollouts that will allow capable users of electronic health records to capture $40 billion in annual savings. To realize the greatest return on investment, assert authors of an August journal entry in the McKinsey Quarterly, hospitals ...
Drowning in Data
August 13, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
The "meaningful use" standards for electronic health records released last month by the federal government were softened in response to criticism that proposed rules released earlier in the year were overly onerous. Critics included the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association. Now, front-line health care providers are clamoring ...
Crazy Like a Fox
August 12, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
When it comes to managing patients' electronic medical records, insurance companies would not be an obvious choice for the job. After all, insurers are notorious for using information to deny claims. Can you say "pre-existing condition?" The seemingly inherent conflict of interest is akin to that of having the proverbial ...
Texting Lowers Insulin Levels
August 11, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
Adolescents with diabetes are more likely to follow treatment plans and register improved blood-glucose levels when they receive weekly text message reminders, a new pilot study finds. Dr. Jennifer Dyer, an endocrinologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, "sent personalized questions and reminders specific to diabetes adherence activities in ...
Certification Boards Endorse EHRs
August 6, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
Two large medical certification boards declared on Thursday their intention to make physicians' use of health information technology a standard for assessing and certifying the competency of doctors. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) announced an initiative "to promote the meaningful use of health information technology (HIT) and incorporate ...
Big Love For Big Hospitals
August 5, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
Federal lawmakers have introduced legislation that would increase by millions of dollars each the amount of meaningful use incentive funds that multicampus hospitals could receive. The 2010 Electronic Health Record Incentives for Multi-Campus Hospitals Act would amend the HITECH Act, which for purposes of incentive fund eligibility treats multicampus hospitals ...
Dr. G.E. Intel Will See You Now
August 4, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
General Electric and Intel have formed a joint venture to develop health IT products aimed at exploiting the lucrative and fast-growing chronic care market. The as-yet-unnamed new company, announced this week, will be a 50-50 venture that builds on an alliance established last year to concentrate on solutions for helping ...
IT Stimulus Yields Foreign Interest
July 30, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
In the latest case of foreigners invading the American homeland to make a buck, a Paris-based IT company seeking to enter the U.S. health IT market has bought Pulse Systems, a maker of electronic health records based in Wichita, Kansas. The acquisition by Cedegim, a global technology services company, is ...
Calling FCC, FDA. Anybody Home?
July 29, 2010
FROM NEXTGOV
On paper, it makes sense to combine the might of the Federal Communications Commission and the Food and Drug Administration to "promote innovation and investment in wireless medical devices," as reported here yesterday. In reality, skepticism is in order. After writing yesterday's blog item (but before posting it) the link ...
