A formal evaluation of the effects of all the federal health information technology initiatives, including meaningful use of EHRs, finds little evidence of the promised benefits.
There is substantial controversy about the benefits of health information technology and whether those benefits outweigh the costs. A meta-study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association takes a fresh look at this question.
The other exchange in health care–health information exchanges–are designed to ensure that all the data whizzing around in all the fancy new electronic medical record systems and other provider and payer systems can be easily shared across the system for clinical and administrative purposes. A new report looks at the status of these exchanges.
An early spring for much of the country and our latest Potpourri is in full bloom, with nuggets on health information exchanges, genetic testing guidelines, an employer survey on reform, EMRs and lab test ordering and the relationship between clinical quality and patient satisfaction.
This week’s Potpourri features dropped malpractice claims, the quality benefits of EHRs, improper Medicare payments, health insurer customer satisfaction, the utilization and cost effects of using hospitalists, and determining if a patient has decision-making capacity.
Our current Potpourri contains nuggets on use of robotic surgery for prostate cancer, the effect of mandated rebates in Medicare Part D on patient costs, FDA guidance on device modifications, state Medicaid EHR incentive programs, patient understanding of trial data, and use of FQHC’s by Medicaid enrollees.