Organization

Harvard School Of Public Health


Health Affairs: EMR transition could take some time

Industry News | Friday, August 27 2010
The adoption of basic or comprehensive EHR systems by U.S. hospitals increased from 8.7 percent in 2008 to 11.9 percent in 2009, but only 2 percent of hospitals met the federal meaningful use standards needed to qualify for government financial incentives, according to an article published Aug. 26 in an advance online edition of Health Affairs.
 

Cambridge Health Alliance names Worthen CMIO

Executive Announcements | Thursday, August 26 2010
Hilary Worthen, MD, has been named CMIO of Cambridge Health Alliance, a three-hospital, Harvard-affiliated integrated public healthcare system that serves Cambridge, Somerville and Boston's metro-north region. 
 

Obama appoints Berwick during congressional recess

Top Stories | Wednesday, July 07 2010
During the current congressional recess, President Barack Obama appointed Donald Berwick, MD, current president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to fill the role of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator.
 

HealthAffairs: For improved costs and quality, EHRs alone may not be enough

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, April 07 2010
The implementation of EHR systems may not be enough to significantly improve health quality and reduce costs, according to a study in the April issue of Health Affairs. Researchers from the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston reported finding that currently implemented systems have little effect on measures such as patient mortality, surgical complications, length of stay and costs.
 

Secretary Sebelius selects five new HHS regional directors

Industry News | Wednesday, April 07 2010
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has appointed five new regional directors of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
 

White House reportedly to nominate Harvard prof as CMS chief

Top Stories | Sunday, March 28 2010
President Barack Obama will reportedly nominate Donald M. Berwick, MD, as the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), according to a variety of media sources.
 

NEJM: Publicly reporting data doesn’t change readmission rates

Clinical Studies | Sunday, January 03 2010
Current efforts to collect and publicly report data on discharge planning are unlikely to yield large reductions in unnecessary readmissions, according to study authors in the Dec. 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
 

Study: Broader group of stakeholders improve likelihood of RHIO operationality

Clinical Studies | Thursday, December 17 2009
Finding ways to help regional health information organizations (RHIOs) become operational and self-sustaining will bolster the current approach to nationwide health IT, according to an article in the December edition of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA).
 

Survey: Americans evenly split on role of healthcare interest groups in reform

Industry News | Wednesday, September 30 2009
A recent survey found that Americans have mixed feelings on the “appropriate roles” for various healthcare interest groups in Washington, D.C.
 

NEJM: U.S. hospital health IT report indicates uphill battle for new U.S. policies

Top Stories | Wednesday, April 15 2009
The very low levels of adoption of EHRs in U.S. hospitals suggest that policymakers face substantial obstacles to the achievement of healthcare performance goals that depend on health IT, according to a survey in the April 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
 

NEJM: Less than 2% of hospitals have comprehensive EHR—stimulus might help

Top Stories | Wednesday, March 25 2009
Although the consensus is that EHRs have the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of U.S. healthcare providers, less than 2 percent of acute-care hospitals have implemented a comprehensive EHR; further, less than 8 percent have a basic EHR in place, according to a study published online March 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine that is scheduled for publication in the April 16 print edition.
 

Healthcare IT poised to gain ground

Editorial | Thursday, January 22 2009
Against the backdrop of a severe global economic downturn, President Obama issued a clarion call on Tuesday for healthcare IT to take center stage in addressing the ever-growing costs of healthcare delivery.
 

Americans want healthcare reform, but divided on how to pay for it

Top Stories | Wednesday, January 21 2009
The public ranks healthcare reform as an important part of efforts to stem the impact of economic recession and views it as a top priority for President Barack Obama and Congress, yet divisions remain on how to fund reform, according to survey results from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.
 

Vast majority of U.S. hospitals do not use EHRs

Top Stories | Monday, November 17 2008
 
Relatively few U.S. hospitals—between 2 and 12 percent—use EHRs, according to a hospital IT adoption survey, conducted in conjunction with the American Hospital Association (AHA).
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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