An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. Included in this information are patient demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports. The EHR automates and streamlines the clinician's workflow. The EHR has the ability to generate a complete record of a clinical patient encounter, as well as supporting other care-related activities directly or indirectly via interface—including evidence-based decision support, quality management, and outcomes reporting.
HHS soon will issue guidance and specifications on the definition of "meaningful use" of health information technology, National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal said on Friday, CongressDaily reports (Noyes, CongressDaily, 5/8). "Meaningful use is very much on our mind," he said, adding, "We hope to provide a direction and some specifications in the late spring, early summer" (Goldstein, "Health Blog," Wall Street Journal, 5/8).
Few U.S. hospitals have taken advantage of a no-cost, open-source electronic health records system developed by the Veterans Health Administration, the Boston Globe reports (Wangsness, Boston Globe, 5/4).
The Veterans Health Administration's open-source electronic health records system could be an effective and low-cost option for non-Veterans Affairs hospitals that are seeking to implement such a system but have been held back by the cost, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Comprehensive health care reform is necessary this year because of rising costs and the declining quality of care, according to an HHS report released on Monday, Reuters/Boston Globe reports.
Congressional Democrats intend to pass health care reform legislation by "August or September" that could include an option allowing uninsured U.S. residents to buy into a government-run health care plan, Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said on Monday, Kansas Health Institute News reports.
The recently passed 'Stimulus' funding will create a huge amount of electronic medical information in the next few years, but legal uncertainty about who owns the information "presents a major obstacle to integrating and using" it to improve public health and health care, according to a national commentary co-authored by a Wake Forest University and a Duke University faculty member.
St. Jude Medical, Inc. has announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the newest version of the Merlin.net Patient Care Network (PCN), a secure, Internet-based remote care system for patients with implanted medical devices.
For years controversy has surrounded whether electronic medical records (EMR) would lead to increased patient safety, cut medical errors, and reduce healthcare costs.
Use of electronic health records (EHRs) may help reduce paid malpractice settlements for physicians, according to a new study.
U.S. spending on health care services is "under pressure" as Americans are "cutting back on health care," an area of the economy "once thought to be invulnerable to recession," the Wall Street Journal reports.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.) on Tuesday during a campaign event in Mehlville, Mo., said that Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) as president would place employer-sponsored health insurance at risk, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) this week plans to introduce a bill intended to encourage nationwide adoption of electronic health record technology that will include a provision to impose penalties on health care providers who fail to do so, CQ Today reports.
The Health IT Now! Coalition on Tuesday will release a joint letter to House and Senate members urging them to redouble efforts to pass legislation for the creation of a nationwide electronic health records system, CongressDaily reports.
A number of newspapers have recently looked at the presidential candidates' positions on health and economic issues, and how new figures on the number of uninsured Americans may play in the campaign.
Presidential candidate Ralph Nader (I) on Thursday criticized the U.S.'s two-party political system, which he says has been beholden to corporate interests that are preventing residents from accessing health care through a universal health care system, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
A promise from presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) that his health care proposal would reduce health insurance premiums for the average family by $2,500 "is one of the most audacious promises in a campaign that has been thick with them," the New York Times reports. In addition, Obama has promised to implement a health plan by the end of his first term as president.
The American Civil Liberties Union today urges the House Energy and Commerce Committee to require patient control of medical records and compensation for privacy breaches to be a part of the standards set for converting to electronic patient records.
Physicians who do not use the tools of information technology (IT) such as electronic health records and computerized entry of prescriptions could fall short of professional standards, according to a new review.
One year after the deadline for Massachusetts residents to obtain health coverage under the state's health insurance law, the percentage of uninsured has declined but the law "still faces a huge challenge: costs," USA Today reports.
Washington, D.C., should spend $90 million of the funds it received from the 1998 tobacco settlement to expand services provided by community health centers in the district's underserved areas, according to a RAND report released on Thursday, the Washington Post reports.
Terms
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena
answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses.
Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or
authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for
medical information you must always consult a medical
professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with
OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their
privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential
information.
Read the full Terms & Conditions.