During the 2012 ACP annual meeting in New Orleans, I had an opportunity to field and respond to member questions on health IT. A selection of most frequently asked questions and answers are provided for your reference below. EHR Selection I have tried to purchase an EHR system but none of the vendors are returning…

When patients become more actively involved in their own health, there’s a much stronger likelihood their health outcomes will be better. “Questions are the Answer,” is a new public education initiative from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The initiative encourages patients to have more effective two-way communication with their doctors and…

Could you imagine the national road system without standards for width, signage, stop lights, and exits? Similarly, how about the railways without standard gauges for railway tracks? It is these standards that make systems work safely and effectively. Many organizations establish and manage the standards, defining how and when changes are made. In healthcare IT…

The following was excerpted from an email received from the Office of the National Coordinator: The Next Steps: An Overview of Meaningful Use Stage 2 The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is a cooperative agreement partner of National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC). On Monday, March 26, 2012 at 1 p.m. EDT,…

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a research letter in the March 21 issue entitled, “Physician Violations of Online Professionalism and Disciplinary Actions: A National Survey of State Medical Boards,” written by S. Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA; Katherine C. Chretien, MD; Terry Kind, MD, MPH; Aaron Young, PhD; and Cary P….

(Published on behalf of HIMSS) There have been many gains made in the Healthcare Industry in its goal to meet Meaningful Use Stage 1 compliance. New research from HIMSS Analytics reported a 16 percent increase, from 25 to 41 percent in the seven months from February to September 2011, in hospitals being well positioned to…