Free e-Newsletters

EHR Connection

EHR Connection is your connection to all the information you need to make your electronic health record efforts successful. You'll get tips each week on topics such as vendor selection, evaluating return on investment, getting buy-in from physicians and much more.

2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004

EHR Connection

Issue 50, December 16, 2005

• HL7 releases finalized standards

  Health Level Seven (HL7) released to its 2,000-plus members a suite of standards-Version 3...

• NC launches EHR-sharing pilot

  In an intermediate step to EHR migration, North Carolina providers that are leery of transitioning...

• AHA: Government should clarify anti-kickback rules to boost EHR adoption

  The government should expand its proposed changes to anti-kickback and physician self-referral...

• Mt. Sinai patients to use smart cards

  A new patient smart card program at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City will provide patients with...

Issue 45, November 14, 2005

• Free Special Report: The End of the Paper Trail

  Those who are on their way to the end of the paper trail and those who have already reached it...

Issue 42, October 24, 2005

• Bill would limit Veterans Affairs IT spending

  A bill sponsored by Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) and introduced in the House on October 17 proposes to...

• Epocrates forms consortium to prepare physicians for technology

  In its continuing effort to advance the use of mobile healthcare tools among medical students...

• Blue Cross to reimburse physicians for online consultations

  Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City (BCBSKC) will begin a pilot program in January to reimburse...

• Determine who can access EHR information

  Before implementing any components of your EHR, think long and hard about what levels of security...

Issue 38, September 26, 2005

• JCAHO to establish Health IT panel

  The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) announced Friday it...

• Commission includes EHR-lab spec standards in EHR certification criteria

  The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology has included EHR-lab...

• Study shows small practices still not onboard with EHRs

  Among practices that employ five or fewer full-time physicians, more than half say they have no...

• Government to establish EHRs for Hurricane Katrina evacuees

  HHS is working to establish EHRs and a database of prescription drug records for the thousands of...

• Questions arise over availability and cost of VistA-Office

  Flip-flopping reports of CMS’ free electronic health records application for physicians are...

Issue 31, August 2, 2005

• Senators propose health IT bill

  Senate leaders Bill Frist, MD; Michael Enzi; Edward Kennedy; and Hillary Clinton proposed the Wired...

• CMS to host NPI roundtable

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will conduct a roundtable conference call on the...

• Vendor releases interoperability tookkit

  RelayHealth has launched an interoperability toolkit to help its clients streamline EHR integration...

Issue 25, June 22, 2005

• Health IT policy recap

  Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Bill Frist (R-TN) introduced a new medical records bill...

• Committee to study automated coding, nationwide health network

  The Foundation of Research and Education (FORE) of the American Health Information Management...

• Hospital worker convicted on four counts of identity theft

  An Oregon deputy district attorney advised hundreds of medical record theft victims from Columbia...

Issue 17, April 28, 2005

• Brailer speaks at CalRHIO summit

  National Coordinator for Health Information Technology David Brailer, MD, PhD, spoke last week...

• House committee seeks to cut VA HIT funding

  Last Thursday the House Committee on Veterans Affairs recommended withholding current funding and...

• UPMC serving more than 1,000 diabetes patients online

  The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s (UPMC) Internet portal, which allows diabetes...

• Fallon to pay for online care

  Fallon Community Health Plan (FCHP) in Worcester, MA, will pay for physician use of secure...

Issue 16, April 18, 2005

• EHR certification requirements released

  EHR certification requirements released

• Interoperability: Brailer queries private sector

  Interoperability: Brailer queries private sector

• HIT legislation in the works

  HIT legislation in the works

Issue 14, April 4, 2005

• E-prescribing recommendations released

  The American Medical Informatics Association and the Joint Clinical Decision Support Workgroup of...

• CareFirst BCBS will pay docs to use EHRs

  CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has joined Bridges to Excellence, a pay-for-performance program that...

• ReadMyChart.com looking to expand record program

  ReadMyChart.com looking to expand record program

Issue 13, March 29, 2005

• Department of Homeland Security launches info-sharing pilot program

  The Department of Homeland Security last week launched a pilot program to provide...

• Nebraska providers create RHIO to share mental health records

  Healthcare providers in southeast Nebraska formed a partnership to create a regional network to...

• Surescripts launches Web site to track connectivity, e-prescribing

  Physicians and pharmacies can use the Surescripts Web site to determine the progress of...

Issue 12, March 14, 2005

• Louisiana joins state HIT initiative

  Last Thursday, Louisiana became the second state, after New York, to join the eHealth Initiative...

• Is HIM ready for EHR?

  Even though facilities are implementing EHRs at various speeds, HIM professionals report they are...

• Standards groups join forces for interoperability

  Object Management Group and Health Level Seven, standards-development organizations, partnered to...

Issue 10, March 7, 2005

• Kentucky House passes health network bill

  Kentucky House passes health network bill

• Survey results: EHR cost falling

  Survey results: EHR cost falling

• Partnership brings e-Rxing to 300-member group practice in Ohio

  Partnership brings e-Rxing to 300-member group practice in Ohio

Issue 9, March 7, 2005

• Government may relax Stark to boost HIT adoption

  Government may relax Stark to boost HIT adoption

• America split on EHR v. privacy risks

  America split on EHR v. privacy risks

• Health system to invest $100 million in HIT improvements

  Health system to invest $100 million in HIT improvements

Issue 8, February 18, 2005

• Report: EHR systems not interoperable

  Unless steps are taken to make technology interoperable, healthcare organizations will be managing...

• MD program to speed voluntary physician adoption of e-Rx

  MD program to speed voluntary physician adoption of e-Rx

• CIOs expected to boost HIT spending

  CIOs expected to boost HIT spending

• GE, provider, developing clinical software

  GE, provider, developing clinical software

• Survey: Medical group EHR use will double in two years

  Survey: Medical group EHR use will double in two years

Issue 7, February 17, 2005

• Wisconsin Gov. requests $10 million for EHR project

  Wisconsin Gov. requests $10 million for EHR project

• MA-based collaborative brings nearly 3,000 docs to e-Rxing

  MA-based collaborative brings nearly 3,000 docs to e-Rxing

• Innovations push EHR adoption

  Innovations push EHR adoption

Issue 6, February 8, 2005

• President Bush speaks in Cleveland to promote EHRs

  President Bush speaks in Cleveland to promote EHRs

• Duke hospitals to have complete CPOE by summer

  Duke hospitals to have complete CPOE by summer

• Siemens connectivity tool allows access 24/7 for docs, patients

  Siemens connectivity tool allows access 24/7 for docs, patients

Issue 4, January 25, 2005

• eHealth Initiative Foundation to help state HIT adoption

  The eHealth Initiative Foundation launched a plan to assist states’ organization and adoption...

• Providers hesitant to adopt EHRs

  Without established interoperability standards healthcare providers are hesitant to adopt...

• Industry bands together to endorse procedures, practices, to develop HIT network

  Thirteen organizations endorsed standard procedures and practices for the development of a national...

Issue 2, January 10, 2005

• HL7 EHR ballots open for public comment

  The Health Level Seven (HL7) EHR Technical Committee posted two new informative ballots regarding...

• AHRQ awards Lousiana Rural HIT Partnership $1.1 million

  The Louisiana Rural Health Information Technology Partnership received a $1.1 million grant from...

Issue 1, January 6, 2005

• Delaware to create statewide EHR network with federal grant money

  Delaware will be connecting doctors, laboratories, hospitals, pharmacies, and other healthcare...

• Wisconsin healthcare systems are upgrading IT

  Franciscan Skemp Healthcare plans to implement EHRs and Gundersen Lutheran will expand information...

• Protect PHI and the security of electronic medical records

  The American Medical Association published the following steps to help your facility protect PHI...

Issue 14, January 6, 2005

• WA hospital receives a donation, can now implement an EHR system

  Sky Valley Family Medicine clinic in Sultan, WA, will implement a new electronic health records...

• Study suggests EHRs guarantee better care for patients

  An Annals of Internal Medicine study published last week suggests EHRs guarantee better care for...

• Cerner considers creating regional network in Missouri

  Health IT vendor Cerner Corp. is considering creating a regional health information network to...

Issue 13, January 6, 2005

• ME to create statewide EHR system

  To lower costs while improving quality and access to care in Maine's 39 hospitals, the Commission...

• Thompson’s resignation will have little effect on health IT

  The resignation of Tommy Thompson, head of the Department of Health and Human Services, will...

• Vendor charges government with EHR responsibilities

  The federal government has the responsibility to propel the movement toward an electronic health...