Author: trident50
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Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act can improve health of the US population
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by US President Barack Obama in 2010, can advance public health in the USA by supporting increased emphasis on prevention, and reversing the historic division between public health and private health care services, according to the authors of new research published in The Lancet as…
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Viewpoints: Hobby Lobby decision celebrated and panned; gender and religious politics explored
In ruling 5 to 4 that “closely held” companies can refuse on religious grounds to include contraceptives in their employees’ health plans, the Supreme Court has needlessly interfered with an important provision of the Affordable Care Act. And it has done more than that (7/1). …read more
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State roundup: Christie vows overhaul of pension, health benefits; Ill., Fla. move more into Medicaid managed care
Gov. Chris Christie said he would propose an overhaul to the state’s pension and health benefits system later this summer, revisiting an issue that burnished his national political image in 2011 but challenged him this spring when he scaled back promised funding. As the governor signed a $32.5 billion budget on Monday, he vetoed tax…
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Dispatch from Tokyo
I’m in Japan today lecturing at the TOPOS Conference. per the request of several colleagues. Think of it as TED in Tokyo. I’ve been asked to discuss the Meaning of Life in an Aging Society without referencing Healthcare IT, which is a real challenge for a CIO. The approach I’ve taken is to explore life…
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At the Forefront of Health Plan-Provider Collaboration: Aetna’s Commitment to Accountable Care
Things have been moving forward very rapidly these days, as Aetna pursues an accelerating number of private ACOs with provider organizations nationwide Things have been moving forward very rapidly at the Hartford-based Aetna these days. The giant U.S. health insurer has made a firm commitment to developing accountable care relationships all across the country. At…
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Efforts to Cut Unnecessary Blood Testing Decreases Laboratory Spending Significantly
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore used two relatively simple tactics to significantly reduce the number of unnecessary blood tests to assess symptoms of heart attack and chest pain and to achieve a large decrease in patient charges. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore used two relatively simple tactics…
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Report: Majority of EHR Vendors Score in “D” Range for Security
More than half of electronic health record (EHR) vendors—58 percent— scored in the “D” grade range for their culture of security, according to a report from Corl Technologies, an Atlanta-based security risk management solution provider. More than half of electronic health record (EHR) vendors—58 percent— scored in the “D” grade range for their culture of…
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Technology-Driven Healthcare Part 1: Telemedicine
Healthcare IT and healthcare reform are inextricably entwined as healthcare delivery transforms itself from a model based on volume to one based on value. Telemedicine is a disruptive technology that is ripe for driving this change from a provider-centric care model to a patient-centric model. That’s the view of Dennis Schmuland, M.D., chief health strategy…
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Stage 2 certified EHRs not ready for interoperability
The current architecture for data exchange required by Stage 2 of Meaningful Use does not allow for “robust” patient data sharing, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Informatics Association. read more …read more
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Viewpoints: Nothing in health care is free; Obamacare opponents lack facts; ‘Nurse Jackie’ and the ER
The Department of Health and Human Services released a report Friday declaring that 76 million Americans with private insurance became eligible for more preventive services with no out-of-pocket fees as a result of the 2010 healthcare law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). Because Democrats are counting on female voters to help…