MedWorm Tags: health information

Announcing Metadata Pilots to Realize PCAST Vision

Healthcare IT News Blog — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:25:30 +0100

Those of you keeping a close eye on the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and its activities might have noticed the advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) that was published on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, requesting public input on a set of proposed metadata standards recommended to ONC by the HIT Standards Committee. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

Immigrant Media Making, New Voices for Community Health

BHIC — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:40:44 +0100

This report offers guidance for community organizations and those who fund social change in how best to harness the power of local media-making for community health improvement. It explains the value of immigrant media making as a tool in community building and leadership development. To conduct the research, Health Forward Consulting interviewed leaders such as media makers, immigrant leaders, social innovators and philanthropists who fund health, media and immigrant concerns. [New Routes for Community Health http://newroutes.org/newvoices] (Source: BHIC)

Health Literacy News

BHIC — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:53:11 +0100

Presentations on AHRQ Health Literacy Tools http://bit.ly/pOte99 Cindy Brach, AHRQ’s lead for health literacy, gave a plenary presentation at the Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit, “AHRQ Tools for Addressing Health Literacy.” Darren DeWalt followed with a presentation on AHRQ’s Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. [AHRQ email updates] Ohio Health Literacy Conference October 12-13, 2011 Half-day Preconference Plain Language Writing Workshop included October 11th from 1:00pm – 5:00pm Cleveland Renaissance Hotel, 24 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio Registration for the Inaugural Ohio Health Literacy Conference is available online at http://www.stvincentcharity.com/OHLC. Cost $199 per person includes breakfast, lunch, and snack breaks both days, an evening ex...

Podcast: Gartner’s Vi Shaffer on HIE, ACOs and meaningful use

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:24:05 +0100

Back in June, I covered the Wisconsin Technology Network’s Digital Healthcare Conference in Madison. That conference featured a panel with Vi Shaffer, research vice president and industry services director for healthcare providers at Gartner, Judy Murphy, vice president of information services at Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee, and Epic Systems CEO Judy Faulkner, based in nearby Verona, Wis. The panel discussed the question, “Is meaningful use a floor or a ceiling?” as I reported for WTN News. The conference also featured several sessions on how business intelligence and health information exchange can support Accountable Care Organizations. A month later, I saw Shaffer again at AMDIS Physician-Computer Connection meeting in Ojai, Calif. There, she presented preliminary ...

NHS scraps plans for centralized electronic medical record

Notes from Dr. RW — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:33:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Are electronic medical records really electronic data dumps?

Notes from Dr. RW — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:08:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Health Literacy Annual Research Conference

BHIC — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:03:32 +0100

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/healthliteracyconference/ October 17-18, Chicago The Health Literacy Annual Research Conference is an interdisciplinary meeting for investigators dedicated to health literacy research. It is an opportunity to advance the field of health literacy, a method to raise the quality of our research, and a venue for professional development. Our aim is to attract a full range of investigators engaged in health literacy research including those involved in a broad array of public health, health services, epidemiology, translational, and interventional research activities. (Source: BHIC)

Health Information Exchange: Current projects inspiring future pathways

Healthcare IT News Blog — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:07:33 +0100

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the future of health information exchange (HIE)—what it will mean 10, 15 or even 20 years down the road. There is no question that providers recognize the importance of HIE, and realize in combination with electronic health records (EHRs) that it will transform the practice of medicine. The question is whether providers are fully aware of the many HIE projects on the ground right now that already are beginning to impact patient care. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

Low ‘Health Literacy’ Hazardous to Your Health

BHIC — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:51:00 +0100

http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.aspx?docID=654935 Study found inability to interpret health information linked to poorer outcomes. By Kathleen Doheny HealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) — If you have low “health literacy,” defined as having difficulty understanding medical information, your health may be at risk. In a review of 96 published studies, researchers concluded that low health literacy is linked with many types of poorer health outcomes and poorer use of health services. (Source: BHIC)

Does clinical decision support in the electronic medical record increase guideline adherence?

Notes from Dr. RW — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:55:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Health Care Attorney Warns About HIPAA Privacy Issues In Social Media

Better Health — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:00:39 +0100

This is the first of a three part post addressing the legal concerns of social networking in the health care arena. Legal expert, David Harlow, Esq., Health Care Attorney and Consultant at The Harlow Group, LLC in Boston, addresses the legal issues. Q: Barbara: What are the legal implications for doctors, nurses and hospitals engaging in social media? A: David: Health care providers are concerned about HIPAA privacy issues – HIPAA violations may occur as a result of staff posts, or as a result of patient, family or caregiver posts – as well as potential liability for medical advice provided on line. Physicians and nurses have been sanctioned and fired for privacy breaches via social media, so these are real concerns. Some communications that folks think are OK may in fact be v...

Email Archiving in the Healthcare Industry – Guest Post

EMR and HIPAA — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:34:26 +0100

This guest post was provided by Ed Fisher on behalf of GFI Software Ltd. GFI is a leading software developer that provides a single source for network administrators to address their network security, content security and messaging needs. More information: email archiving software. In today’s business environment, where litigation is an increasingly common way for disputes to be settled, compliance is included in every business plan, and regulations are reaching into business processes everywhere. Email admins must concern themselves with far more than just whether or not email is flowing. They must ensure that messaging meets the various regulations under which their business falls. They may also have to deal with legal holds, compliance reviews, discovery motions, and internal policy ...

Which Generation Of Physicians Uses The Most Mobile Technology?

Better Health — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0100

Smartphones and tablets have reached 80% of physicians across all practice types, locations and years in practice, and 25% of users are “Super Mobile” physicians who use both types of mobile devices. This is far beyond the general population’s 50% adoption of smartphones and 5% adoption of tablets. QuantiaMd, a free, online learning collaborative, released survey results that showed 44% of physicians who do not yet have a mobile device intend to buy one this year. While younger physicians have higher adoption rates than older ones, current use of mobile devices by physicians longest in practice is above 60%, the survey showed. Among physicians with 30 years or more of practice, almost 20% already use a tablet device for work, and another 25% say they are extremely likely ...

Archive Videos: Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit

BHIC — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:24:11 +0100

http://ow.ly/5DqQk Health Literacy Wisconsin has placed videos of the 4th Annual Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit online. The summit was held in April, 2011. Online videos include Cindy Brach MPP, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) Richard H. Carmona MD, MPH, FACS, 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006), vice chairman of Canyon Ranch, president of Canyon Ranch Institute and Distinguished Professor at the Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona Toni Cordell, Nationally renowned health literacy consumer advocate and more! (Source: BHIC)

Online Health Information Curriculum

BHIC — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:47:17 +0100

“Who Can You Trust? Health Information and the Internet” http://www.rvhcc.org/pdf/HIL_Sourcebook.pdf The curriculum was developed as part of a program to improve health literacy among youth and young adults. Teachers, librarians and youth in middle and high schools and literacy practitioners, public librarians and young adults in non-formal adult education setting in rural Maine develop and pilot the program. The following article describes how the curriculum was developed and used and includes both formative and summative evaluation results. [Health Literacy listserv] (Source: BHIC)

Toolkits

BHIC — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:10:26 +0100

Sustaining Improved Outcomes: A Toolkit http://www.sustainingoutcomes.com/ Improving quality and achieving better outcomes continues to be a major focus in the areas of public health, healthcare, social service, education, and related fields. In all of those fields, there is a need to not only develop strategies to implement improvements but also to ensure that the improvements are sustained overtime. While both funders and organizations have indicated that sustainability is critical, there remains a need for clear definitions, models, and assistance to guide sustainability efforts. This website provides guidance on how to sustain improved outcomes. The website provides an introduction to sustainability, a description of 12 factors that contribute to sustainability, and assessment and plan...

National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities

BHIC — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:00:21 +0100

http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/npa/ Elimination of health disparities affecting racial and ethnic minority populations cannot happen without the united efforts of our public and private sectors. Further, we believe that ideas should flow from the grassroots to our government and private policy-makers. Throughout the National Partnership for Action, we will strive to ensure that all voices are heard, and that community voices help shape national and local policy on health disparities. The Office of Minority Health (OMH) is looking for partners from all sectors that are willing to collaborate with others and make a commitment to help develop, support, and implement this initiative. Support a nation free of disparities in health and health care by joining the effort! [ Office of Minority Healt...

Center for Health Literacy Conference

BHIC — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:10:17 +0100

https://www.plaintalkconf.com/ereg253970.cfm?pg=home The Center for Health Literacy in collaboration with the American Public Health Association presents its second annual conference: Plain Talk in Complex Times September 22-23, 2011 Arlington, VA Six preconference workshops: build your skills for communicating about health—in person, on the Web, and in print. Learn from today’s decision makers and experts. Two full days of speakers, panels, and skill-building workshops, plus time to meet with colleagues. This year’s key topics: Oral communication eHealth literacy Usability Look for these topics as well: Social media Writing for the Web Translation/interpretation Financial literacy Graphic design Accessibility Communicating with seniors Medicaid and health IT Military pro...

Meaningful Use Measures: Timely Electronic Access to Health Information – Meaningful Use Monday

EMR and HIPAA — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:31:41 +0100

Meaningful Use Menu Measure: At least 10% of all unique patients seen by the eligible professional (EP) are provided timely (available to the patient within 4 business days) electronic access to their health information. This is a third meaningful use measure related to providing patients with access to their health information. Meaningful Use Mondays has already addressed the two core measures—clinical summary and electronic copy of health information—“timely access” is a menu measure. The requirements are as follows: The measure includes a provision for EPs to claim an exclusion, but I don’t believe that many will qualify for this exclusion. They would have to attest that they “neither order nor create lab tests or information that would be contained in the problem list, m...

The Oral Health Information Tutorial

BHIC — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:11:00 +0100

http://www.library.uthscsa.edu/community/oralhealth.cfm This tutorial focuses on improving access to and awareness of reliable information resources, as well as integrating the best evidence from these resources into public health dental practice and educational activities. [PHPartners http://phpartners.org/ - New Links for the week of Jul 15, 2011] (Source: BHIC)

Health Literacy News

BHIC — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:09:04 +0100

Health Literacy Implications for Health Care Reform Workshop Summary http://bit.ly/roQsHn The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) extends health care access to 32 million Americans who previously had been uninsured. However, many of the newly eligible individuals who could benefit most from the benefits promised by the ACA, are perhaps least prepared to take advantage of those benefits. Due to low health literacy—the degree to which one can understand and make decisions based on health information—many people may have difficulty understanding what coverage they are eligible for under the ACA; making informed choices about what is best for them and their families; and completing the enrollment process. Teaching Critical Health Literacy in the US as a Means to Action on the ...

Deep thought on medical information for a Friday

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:26:53 +0100

From HL7 International‘s Chuck Jaffe, M.D., at the AMDIS conference in Ojai, Calif., this morning: Related posts:Podcast: Dr. David Kibbe on personal health information, medical homes, value in healthcare and more Podcast: Dr. Bill Bria on CMIOs and medical informatics Friday funny (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog)

Articles of Interest

BHIC — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:52:34 +0100

Promoting literacy to increase adherence http://www.acpinternist.org/archives/2011/07/literacy.htm From the July/August ACP Internist, copyright © 2011 by the American College of Physicians By Charlotte Huff When his heart failure patient kept getting hospitalized with related complications, Ben Powers, MD, worried that something wasn’t quite connecting. On the surface, the problem appeared to be nonadherence. The man struggled to keep up with his medications and his recommended diet. But Dr. Powers, an internist and assistant professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., suspected a more deeply rooted cause. “I had a fairly strong suspicion that literacy was part of it,” he said. Food Industry: Walk the Talk to Protect Our Kids’ Health http://hu...

Podcast: Using the Internet for Health

BHIC — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:12:11 +0100

Health Literacy Out Loud #62: Using the Internet for Health http://bit.ly/q4Ib4S Lee Rainie is Director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Since 1999, this non-profit, non–partisan “fact tank” has studied the social impact of the internet. The Pew Research Center has examined and reported how people’s Internet use affects their families, communities, work places, education, civic and political life. It also studies how people use the Internet for health. In this podcast, Rainie talks with Helen Osborne about: The rise of “e-patients.” Who they are. How they use the Internet for health. The Internet as a way to increase patient engagement. How Internet usage may differ for those with chronic conditions versus new diagnoses. ...

Health Literacy Resources

BHIC — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:45:36 +0100

Picture Stories for Adult ESL Health Literacy http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/Health/healthindex.html The picture stories were made with overworked teachers in under-resourced programs firmly in mind. They are deliberately simple and impersonal so that learners at all levels can connect with them. These picture stories deal with complex health and health care system issues affecting adult ESL learners. They are a means of bringing up the topics in English, starting at very beginning and low-literacy levels, and introducing cultural concepts and local resources. The stories are accompanied by complete lesson plans with background info and resources, which I am in the process of updating (but they are still usable as they are). [[HealthLiteracy 5919] On Demand Healthy Liter...

Wisconsin HIE veteran Turney to replace Jessee as MGMA CEO

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:45:19 +0100

The Medical Group Management Association today named Susan Turney, M.D., as its new president and CEO, effective in September. Longtime chief William F. Jessee, M.D., is retiring after 12 years on the job. Like Jessee, Turney is an advocate of health information technology. She has been CEO and executive vice president of the Wisconsin Medical Society since 2004. There, she founded and chaired the Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN) co-founded the Wisconsin Health Information Organization. Tunney was MGMA board chair in 2005-06. Read more here. Related posts:MGMA wants standard patient IDs within a year Why is this news? (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog)

Meaningful Use Measures: Electronic Copy of Health Information – Meaningful Use Monday

EMR and HIPAA — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:18:26 +0100

Meaningful Use Core Measure: More than 50% of all patients who request an electronic copy of their health information are provided it within 3 business days. Exclusion: Any EP who receives no requests for this information in electronic format. This measure is distinguished from the clinical summary measure, (discussed in the previous Meaningful Use Monday post), in two major ways: 1) “Electronic copy of health information” covers all health information that the provider has regarding the patient, whereas the “clinical summary” is a snapshot of a particular visit. 2) This measure is driven by requests made by patients or their agents—electronic access must be provided in response to at least 50% of the specific requests received by a provider. By contrast, ...

Alaskan Healthcare IT Lessons Learned

Healthcare IT News Blog — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:13:46 +0100

I'm back from Alaska and I'll post several blogs about my Healthcare IT and personal experiences in the 49th state. Alaska faces many healthcare challenges given its large area (663,268 sq mi) and population of 710,231 residents (as per the 2010 US Census), approximately half of which live in the Anchorage metropolitan area, making Alaska the least densely populated state. Roads are limited, making boat and small plane the only means of transportation to many locations, especially in the western portion of the state. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

National Health Literacy Innovator Award Contest

BHIC — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:21:08 +0100

http://healthliteracyinnovations.com/award/ Health Literacy Innovations, creator of the Health Literacy Advisor, the nation’s first and most comprehensive health literacy software tool, today announced the launch of the 2011 National Health Literacy Innovators Award. The contest, a national competition to reward innovators in health literacy, seeks the nation’s best health literacy practices in print, in practice, and in the media. It is open to any company, organization or individual that can demonstrate excellence in health literacy. [HealthLiteracy 5897] (Source: BHIC)

Giving Medical Receptionists Their Due

BHIC — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:45:02 +0100

http://ow.ly/5uiJW Pauline W. Chen, MD New York Times July 1, 2011 “While much has been written about the role of doctors, nurses and other clinicians in the care of patients and their families, little attention has been paid to those individuals who make up the very front lines of health care. In almost every clinical practice, office receptionists and the professionals who do comparable work in hospitals, the ward clerks and unit secretaries, are the first people patients see. But serious research on their interactions with patients has been sparse at best. “[@CHPMissouri] (Source: BHIC)

New Ad Campaign Urges Patients To Consider Medical Treatment Options

BHIC — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:11:08 +0100

http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/options/ “Explore Your Treatment Options,” a new multimedia ad campaign announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Ad Council, encourages patients to become more informed about their options before choosing a treatment for a health condition or illness. [AHRQ Press Release http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2011/optionspr.htm] (Source: BHIC)

Health Literacy Podcasts

BHIC — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:17:19 +0100

Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast #61: The Importance of Empathy in Health Communication http://bit.ly/ksZYHC Leslie Bank is Director of Customer Service at Montefiore Health Care System in Bronx, New York. She is also the co-author of, “I’m Sorry to Hear That…Real Life Responses to Patients’ 101 Most Common Complaints About Health Care.” Bank has worked as a healthcare “change agent” for over three decades, always striving to assure that the patient’s voice is heard in all aspects of care. This includes her ongoing work in billing reform. In fact, many refer to Leslie Bank as “The Mother of Patient Friendly Billing.” Yesterday, I referred to material available through Hesperian Foundation. Helen Osborn of Health Literacy Consulting http://www.healthliteracy.com reminde...

Health Information for Historically Black Colleges and Universities

BHIC — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:40:33 +0100

United Negro College Fund Special Projects/National Library of Medicine Provide ACCESS to Historically Black Colleges and Universities http://bit.ly/iS1zk2 With the theme, “Celebrating 10 Years of Health Information ACCESS at HBCUs,” UNCFSP and the National Library of Medicine’s 2011 ACCESS Meeting was well-attended by librarians and health advocates. In addition, through social media the virtual attendance was also of note as users tuned into the meeting on Twitter. The event brought together attendees who engage in the promotion of disease prevention and wellness on HBCU campuses and their surrounding communities through the NLM online health resources. Since 2002, 36 grants have been awarded and HBCUs have successfully engaged their communities in research, curriculum enhancements...

Literacy Resources

BHIC — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:39:13 +0100

New State and Local Health Literacy Groups: New Jersey Health Literacy Coalition http://www.njhealthliteracy.org/ Fairfax County Health Literacy Initiative http://chrc.gmu.edu/fchli/ United Way Launches Effort To Recruit 1 Million Literacy Volunteers http://huff.to/l9anfv The Huffington Post Emmeline Zhao F 06/21/11 United Way Worldwide officially launched a three-year initiative to recruit 1 million volunteers to promote literacy among children on Tuesday, as part of its annual Day of Action events…“What’s really important to us is this research that shows that if we can get kids reading proficiently after the third grade, it changes the trajectory and long-term outcomes for education,” United Way president and CEO Brian Gallagher told The Huffington Post. “Getting mor...

Family Practice Clinic Demonstrates Meaningful Use and Receives Maximum Medicare Incentive – EMR and EHR Interview

EMR and HIPAA — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:43:07 +0100

This is the second in a series of EMR and EHR interviews that will be done on EMR and HIPAA and EMR and EHR. The full EMR interview with Dr. Muir can be found on the new EHR and EMR interviews website. The following is a summary of that interview written by Kathy Bongiovi. If you’re a doctor, nurse, practice manager, EHR consultant, CEO or executive of an EHR vendor, etc with EMR experience that’s interested in being interviewed, let us know on our Contact Us page. Dr. Peter Muir of Springfield Center for Family Medicine was interviewed recently concerning his acquisition of the maximum Medicare Incentive for showing Meaningful Use of a Certified EHR. The Ohio based primary care practice has been using NextGen Ambulatory since 2003 and NextGen Management since 2006. Dr. Muir st...

Summer Health Literacy Institute

BHIC — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:14:11 +0100

For the past several years, the University of New England (Portland, Maine) has held the Summer Health Literacy Institute http://www.healthliteracyinstitute.net/ in Freeport, Maine. This Institute provides a premier learning opportunity in plain language health communication and draws attendees from across the U.S. Sue Stableford (founder and director of the Institute and founding member of The Clear Language Group) and Audrey Riffenburgh (co-founder of the Institute and president of Plain Language Works, LLC) were this year’s presenters and facilitators. Attendees came from across the U.S. and represented various government agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, hospitals, and more. Attendees spent three full days during the hands-on Institute in sessions on topi...

Podcast: Health Literacy Career Information

BHIC — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 03:35:30 +0100

http://bit.ly/kIwfT6 Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast #60: Creating, Finding, and Growing in a Health Literacy Career Geri Lynn Baumblatt has been working on health literacy projects for many years. As the editorial director at Emmi Solutions, she creates and maintains Emmi Solutions’ interactive patient education programs. Geri is also a podcaster and hosts an annual series for Health Literacy Month on the blog: Engaging the Patient.In this podcast Baumblatt talks with Helen Osborne about: How her health literacy journey began with an interest in science, graduate study in literature, and frustration with being a patient. Why clarity and simplicity are needed for multimedia patient education projects. Tips, strategies, lessons learned for people seeking health literacy careers. ...

ACO Development: Provider as Driver

Healthcare IT News Blog — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:50:36 +0100

The proposed CMS regulations on Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) took the first step in promoting discussions about lowering costs, but how to align these costs between each healthcare stakeholder is still an issue and obstacle, leaving most of us to wonder — how will this all actually work? read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

JP Morgan Healthcare Conference HIT Panel Discussion with Schmidt, Chopra, and Park

Health Care Law Blog — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 19:01:24 +0100

If you follow health information technology and are interested in the future of health care take time and listen to this panel discussion on Innovation Opportunities for the Health Information Technology Market with Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Google, Aneesh Chopra, Federal CTO for the United States, Todd Park, CTO of HHS, and moderated by John Doerr, venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins.The panel discussion was part of the Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference held in January 2011.To start off moderator, John Doerr has the audience rattle off a bunch of great questions for the panel to address. Just listening to the questions will make you want to listen to the panel discussion.Thanks to Susannah Fox and Claudia Williams for tweeting the link. Thanks to Brian Ahier (@Ahier) for posting ...

Why Don’t More People Use Health Apps For iPhones And Droids?

Better Health — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:00:13 +0100

I have been musing about why, despite our fascination with gadgets and timesaving devices, so few of us use the apps and tools that have been developed to help us take care of ourselves. The range of options is staggering – my iPhone coughed up 52 applications for medication reminders just now – but most of us don’t make use of the (often free) high-tech help available to us. There are hundreds of websites and portals to help us monitor our diets, physical activity and blood sugar, talk to our doctors by e-mail and understand our test results. Apps can help us watch for drug interactions, unravel our test results, adjust our hearing aids and track our symptoms. Devices can monitor whether our mom is moving around her house this morning or continuously monitor our vital signs. I...

Harmonizing Provider Directory Standards

Healthcare IT News Blog — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:49:07 +0100

Two weeks ago, I wrote about a strawman for embracing internet-based standards to support the provider directory services needed by health information exchanges. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

New Apple Developments will Likely Spur Mobile Health Innovation

Healthcare IT News Blog — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:11:59 +0100

If you’re reading this blog, you most likely saw the pop-up/interstitial Intel ad that asks “Is Cloud Computing Right for You?” Steve Jobs apparently thinks so. The Apple impresario announced the company’s most talked-about offering, iCloud, at its Worldwide Developers Conference this week, among a number of other new developments that have stirred Apple fans to new heights of evangelism. Mashable.com staffers have been keeping up with conference developments and announcements pretty well. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

Goodbye, Dr. Oprah – And Good Riddance

Better Health — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:00:42 +0100

I wrote once that not only is Oprah Winfrey not a doctor, she plays a really bad one on TV. From promoting Jenny McCarthy and the anti-vaccine movement, to allowing Suzanne Somers a bully-pulpit for her medical woo, to pushing Prudence Hall and her high-dose hormone treatments without acknowledging their potential risks, to leading the church of the Secret as a way to avoid facing the harsh realities of cancer, Oprah did more harm than good when it comes to health. And while the publishing industry may be hanging crepe, the medical community is breathing a sigh of relief that Oprah has left the airwaves, at least for now. After all, we “conventional” docs were repeatedly relegated to a seat in the audience by Oprah, who usually presented us as naysayers and officials in the Church of M...

HIT Lessons Learned from Scotland

Healthcare IT News Blog — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:33:08 +0100

My trip to Scotland provided a remarkable opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences. Scotland has nearly 100% adoption of electronic health records among general practioners and is making good progress in hospitals with innovative built/bought inpatient systems. As in most countries, health information exchange is still evolving, but novel databases supporting disease management at the community level and an emergency care summary exchange are already live. Here's what I learned while in Scotland: No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

Surgeon General Talks About Health Literacy

BHIC — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:23:49 +0100

http://bit.ly/jvUzNg Health Literacy Out Loud #59: Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS Talks about the Importance of Health Literacy Dr. Richard Carmona is the 17th Surgeon General of the United States, Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona, Vice Chairman of Canyon Ranch, and President of the non-profit Canyon Ranch Institute. He understands the importance of health literacy from a lifetime of personal and professional experiences. In this podcast, Dr. Carmona talks with Helen Osborne about: Why he is such a champion of health literacy, How health literacy factors in all we do, including emergency and crisis situations as well as public health, and What others can do to help. As Dr. Carmona says, “Every citizen needs to become a health literacy public h...

On Media and Intellectual Darwinism in the Blogosphere

Better Health — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:00:02 +0100

Last week Aaron Sorkin wrote for The Atlantic a piece in which he details his daily news feed, in What I Read. He’s not into blogs: When I read the Times or The Wall Street Journal, I know those reporters had to have cleared a very high bar to get the jobs they have. When I read a blog piece from “BobsThoughts.com,” Bob could be the most qualified guy in the world but I have no way of knowing that because all he had to do to get his job was set up a website–something my 10-year-old daughter has been doing for 3 years. When The Times or The Journal get it wrong they have a lot of people to answer to. When Bob gets it wrong there are no immediate consequences for Bob except his wrong information is in the water supply now so there are consequences for us. PZ Meyers, whose tagline f...

AHRQ, Ad Council Launch ‘Conoce las Preguntas’ Campaign

BHIC — Thu, 26 May 2011 03:10:49 +0100

http://www.ahrq.gov/preguntas/ ‘Conoce las Preguntas’, (Know the Questions) a new, multimedia Spanish-language campaign announced today by HHS’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Ad Council, encourages Hispanics to get more involved in their health care and to talk with their doctors about their medical concerns [AHRQ Press Release http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2011/preguntaspr.htm ] (Source: BHIC)

How To Take Back Control Of Your Google Searches

Better Health — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:00:16 +0100

Eli Pariser talks at TED about how we’re losing the internet to algorithmic gatekeepers at Google, Yahoo, Facebook and even our news sites, which tailor search results to what they think we want to see. Which is why I often start exploring my search results on page 10 instead of page 1. But what if some search results don’t even make it onto my queue? The side by side comparison of two different users’ internet search on the term “Egypt” during the crisis there is a stunning example of how computerized gatekeepers choose for us what we see (and don’t see) when we log on. You can’t have a functioning democracy if citizens don’t have a free flow of information. I encourage you to watch the entire video, and hope the big mahoffs of the internet sitting in the TED audience hea...

Spinning the RHIO Story

Healthcare IT News Blog — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:01:45 +0100

A recent publication in the Annals of Internal Medicine has gotten quite a bit of attention in Health IT related media: RHIOs struggling to meet Meaningful Use Few RHIOs Meet Basic Criteria for Meaningful Use, Researchers Find No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

The 'Superfreakonomics' of Healthcare IT

Healthcare IT News Blog — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:48:05 +0100

I recently attended a conference at which Stephen Dubner, co-author of the best-selling books Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, gave a keynote. Though he was speaking to a room full of email marketers, his story was peppered with anecdotes from the world of healthcare. He specifically, and quite humorously, told the story of Cedars-Sinai’s efforts to encourage doctors to wash their hands more often in an effort to reduce patients’ hospital-acquired infections. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

Making Sure You Have The Right Diagnosis: Tips From An Internet-Savvy Patient

Better Health — Thu, 19 May 2011 17:00:27 +0100

People generally have a sense there might be information on the Web that can help them when they are worried about their health. They also have a sense there is a LOT of information and some of it may be wrong. All of that is true. What is a strategy to find the good and avoid the bad? This morning, I chatted with Mike Collins, host of “Charlotte Talks” on WFAE, public radio in Charlotte, North Carolina about The Web-Savvy Patient and some of my “Insider Tips” within. We talked at length about how you can get started looking for health information on the Web. First of all, if you’re worried about your health, make sure you get an accurate diagnosis, and make sure that diagnosis is specific to you. Don’t be satisfied if your health care team tells you that you have a “thyroid ...

YouTube Health Videos

BHIC — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:13:10 +0100

“NLM & You: The Video:” Contest Winners Announced! http://1.usa.gov/j6K2Kj NLM Technical Bulletin, May-Jun 2011 The National Library of Medicine®, the world’s largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health, recently conducted a video contest in which the public was invited to create original short videos, promoting awareness of NLM® products and services. Entries were submitted on YouTube and were then screened by a panel of judges from NLM and NIH. Grand prize winner: “James and the Peanut Allergy.” Producer: University of Utah Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, in collaboration with the Biomedical Informatics Department http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoCAizDEKlM First runner-up: “The Fastest Librarian in the...

Not just an EMR, but an HIE for mental health

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:09:29 +0100

Last month, I asked if anyone has been successful with an EMR for mental health. I wondered if an iPad might make it easier for a psychotherapist to take electronic notes during a session without making the patient feel like the computer was getting in the way, because a desktop PC certainly would be a distraction. I also wondered about where mental health fits in the realm of truly comprehensive EHRs. (Yes, I make a distinction between EHR and EMR here, since, while it’s important to have a complete medication list to avoid harmful interactions, there’s little reason why an orthopedist or dermatologist would need to know whether a patient had been diagnosed with a mental illness. The same goes for records of sexually transmitted diseases or any other condition that patients ma...

EMR and HIPAA: HIE, ACOs the ‘fast-moving train’ of health reform

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Thu, 12 May 2011 21:59:53 +0100

I’ve just finished my latest post for EMR and HIPAA, based on a session I moderated this week at the the Institute for Health Technology Transformation health IT summit in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Here’s a taste: The panelists did great job of articulating some of these conundrums and strategies to overcome them, but none better than Kevin Maher, director of clinical innovations for Horizon Healthcare Innovations, a new affiliate of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey tasked with testing new care models, and Victor Freeman, M.D., quality director in the Health Resources and Services Administration‘s Office of Health IT and Quality. The patient-centered medical home is a great idea for managing care, promoting prevention and, ultimately reducing costs. “We view the ba...

Health Literacy and Dental Care

BHIC — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:53:46 +0100

Health Literacy Out Loud #58: From the Tooth’s Point of View: Communicating Serious Health Messages with Wit and Whimsy http://bit.ly/k4X9di Jeanette Courtad DDS is a practicing dentist. She has worked with patients of all ages—from outreach programs at primary schools to now being the dentist at the Colorado School of Mines Student Health Center. Dr. Courtad is also an artist with a lifetime of experience painting, dancing, and sculpting. She combines her artistic talents with a passion for educating children about the need for better oral hygiene in her new book, Toothful Tales: How We Survived the Sweet Attack. In this podcast, she talks with Helen Osborne about: Why preventive health messages are often difficult to communicate. Ways to draw attention to your message with empathy, ...

Webinars and Conferences

BHIC — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:46:22 +0100

Community Wellness Pre-Meetings at NCAI’s Mid Year Conference http://www.ncai.org/ The National Congress of American Indian’s will host its Mid Year Conference June 13-16, 2011 in Milwaukee, WI. This year’s Mid Year Conference community wellness pre-meetings include two half-day discussions on Monday, June 13, 2011: Tribal leaders’ discussion on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Tribal leaders’ travel expenses will be paid. Sucide Prevention Youth Summit for tribal and youth leaders to participate in a discussion to combat soaring suicide rates in tribal communities. [Healthy Minorities, Healthier America Newsletter] Inaugural Ohio Health Literacy Conference Understand. Act. Live. http://www.stvincentcharity.com/OHLC October 12-13, 2011 Cleveland, O...

Blogging by Twitter?

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Thu, 12 May 2011 00:13:28 +0100

Oh man, I’ve been busy. I filled in as writer of the Midwest edition of Payers and Providers the last two weeks because regular editor Duncan Moore, a former colleague, had been hospitalized. (Get well soon, Duncan.) I’ve been at the Institute for Health Technology Transformation health IT summit in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., since yesterday, and I’ve also had my regular deadlines for InformationWeek and MobiHealthNews. I moderated two IHT2 conference sessions yesterday, on how health IT underpins Accountable Care Organizations and how business intelligence can create a framework for health information exchange. I haven’t had time to blog about those, but several people seem to have tweeted during those sessions. I therefore present a rundown via Twitter. @narmi91 #iHT2...

Another Benefit of Breastfeeding

BHIC — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:45:31 +0100

The results of a study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, Online May 9, 2011, http://bit.ly/in3Q86 “suggest that, at least in term children, longer duration of breast feeding is associated with fewer parent-rated behavioural problems in children aged 5 years.” Read more about the study on the Caring4Cancer website: Fewer behavior problems for breastfed kids: study. http://bit.ly/m8bse1 (Source: BHIC)

Health Experts & Patient Advocates Beware: 10 Reasons Why you Shouldn’t be a Curator at Organized Wisdom!! #OrganizedWisdom

Laika's MedLibLog — Tue, 10 May 2011 23:28:18 +0100

Last year I aired my concern about Organized Wisdom in a post called Expert Curators, WisdomCards & The True Wisdom of @organizedwisdom. Organized Wisdom shares health links of health experts or advocates, who (according to OW’s FAQ), either requested a profile or were recommended by OW’s Medical Review Board. I was one of those so called Expert Curators. However, [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog)

Health Experts & Patient Advocates Beware: 10 Reasons Why you Shouldn’t be a Curator at Organized Wisdom!! #EndToFarms #OrganizedWisdom

Laika's MedLibLog — Tue, 10 May 2011 23:28:18 +0100

Top Ten Things You Need To Know About Engaging Patients

The Patient's Doctor — Sat, 07 May 2011 05:25:00 +0100

The Institute for Health Technology Transformation is a US based organisation that brings together private and public sector leaders to foster the effective use of technology across the healthcare industry.Their report, "Top Ten Things You Need To Know About Engaging Patients' is a compilation of what key health IT experts from across the U.S. think are the most important things to know about engaging patients in the digital age along with four key recommendations for practical action.Mostly common sense. Doctors just need to ask a simple question - How would you like your lawyer to communicate with you ? Use the same principles to open as many communication channels with your patients, so it's easy for them to connect with you ! (Source: The Patient's Doctor)

Health Literacy Conference Highlights

BHIC — Fri, 06 May 2011 14:29:03 +0100

I am at the Institute of Healthcare Advancement Health Literacy Conference http://bit.ly/kZ5VtV I can’t begin to summarize in a post all the great things from the first two days of the conference. For me the highlight was having a chance to hear Toni Cordell speak and then to talk with her at the poster session. For those of you familiar with the AMA Health Literacy Video http://bit.ly/fbTPa4 she tells her story of having a medical procedure done without actually knowing what the procedure was til six weeks after the surgery. It’s a powerful story told eloquently. And her talk at the IHA Conference was equally powerful and eloquent. Some resources for you to take a look at: Youth Speaks http://youthspeaks.org/voice/ “Youth Speaks creates safe spaces to empower the next ge...

Articles on the Impact of Personal Health Records

BHIC — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:56:22 +0100

Social Media, PHRs Can Aid in Monitoring Chronic Diseases http://bit.ly/jU2tkp iHealthBeat May 2, 2011 Social networking tools, when paired with the use of personal health records, can be valuable in monitoring chronic diseases, according to a study published in PLoS ONE by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston, Healthcare IT News reports. Impact of Health Literacy on Access and Use of a PHR Wednesday, November 24, 2010 | Ted Eytan http://www.myphr.com/Blog/BlogArticle.aspx?Id=100 This blog entry summarize the report The Literacy Divide: Health Literacy and the Use of an Internet-Based Patient Portal in an Integrated Health System—Results from the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE)Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives, Volume 15, Issue S2, 20...

Implementation for implementation's sake: meaningless use?

Notes from Dr. RW — Tue, 03 May 2011 10:30:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Social Media Moving into Healthcare’s Mainstream

eHealth — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:10:00 +0100

TuDiabetes Study Two articles today demonstrate the growth of influence in social media in the healthcare arena. The first is a research article about TuDiabetes.org 15,000 members on PLosONE permitting data donation to measure H1c in diabetics to demonstrate a model for cohort and translational science and for use as a complementary surveillance approach. This research combined with a recent study of PatientsLikeMe demonstrate the potential power of utilizing patient reported results and outcomes as a research tool. The second article appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine, “Professionalism in the Digital Age.” Get a copy of the full version if you can. It represents a positive approach to social media for physicians and other healthcare providers while noting some c...

FDA report on HIT safety problems

Notes from Dr. RW — Mon, 02 May 2011 10:21:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

CPOE accounted for the most near misses

Notes from Dr. RW — Mon, 02 May 2011 10:05:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Events of Interest

BHIC — Sun, 01 May 2011 20:04:44 +0100

mHealth Summit http://www.mhealthsummit.org/ December 5-7, 2011, National Harbor, MD. The Summit brings together leaders in government, the private sector, industry, academia, providers, and not-for-profit organizations to advance collaboration in the use of wireless technology to improve health outcomes in the United States and abroad. [PHPartners http://phpartners.org/ - New Links for the week of Apr 29, 2011] Health Literacy Conference “Health Literacy: The Path to Health and Wellness: Bringing Health Literacy to Our Communities.” May 20, 2011 New York City http://bit.ly/hUVUfp The conference will be held at the Staten Island University Hospital Conference Center in Staten Island from 8:30am to 3:30pm. Enjoy a free ferry ride to the conference site. The framework of the confer...

Podcast: Texting Important Health Messages

BHIC — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:20:42 +0100

http://healthliteracy.com/hlol-texting Health Literacy Outloud Podcast Julie Gazmararian PhD is Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She has over 25 years of experience conducting public health research in both the public and private sector. Her research focuses on a range of topics including reproductive health, children’s health, health promotion, and health literacy. Dr. Gazmararian has published many articles on health literacy topics including medication refill adherence and use of preventive services. Now she is evaluating an innovative project called “Text4Baby” that brings together text messaging with prenatal/newborn care. (Source: BHIC)

Health Literacy Resources

BHIC — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:53:24 +0100

What’s Your Health IQ? http://abcn.ws/jdxG2C By LARA SALAHI April 26, 2011 abcnews For more than a decade, Helen Osborne drafted health education material, but when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and her doctor gave her a printout that was supposed to help her understand her condition, she said she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.”I had no idea what I just read,” said Osborne, who worked with a variety of medical centers and organizations, including the National Institutes of Health. “I could not even absorb it. I was totally floored.” For more on Helen Osborne: Health Literacy Consulting http://www.healthliteracy.com/ Health OUtloud Podcasts http://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/ For more on Rima Rudd Senior Lecturer on Society, Huma...

National Action Plan Virtual Meeting

BHIC — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:14:22 +0100

DISCUSSION BOARD: If you’re watching the live online video, click on the discussion board tab to the right and log in. You can post message about your work and respond to other’s posts. FACEBOOK: Click on the Facebook tab next to the live video screen, connect to your Facebook account and join a conversation with other logged in users. (Note: A message will show up in your Facebook news feed that says you’re participating in the event, but your posts during the discussion will not show up in your news feed.) TWITTER: Go to http://www.tweetchat.com, sign in to your Twitter account, and type “healthlit” in the “enter hashtag to follow” box at the top of the screen. This will connect you to a live conversation with health literacy experts from across the country. (Source: BHIC)

My week in review

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:21:52 +0100

Since I’m starting to write a lot of daily/breaking news, I’m going to try something new today that might become a regular Friday feature: posting my week in review. It will consist of a quick rundown of stories I’ve written this week. Here goes: Monday “Patient Safety Initiative To Leverage Health IT: The $1 billion federal Partnership for Patients initiative aims to cut $35 billion in healthcare costs, save 60,000 lives, and decrease hospital-acquired conditions by 40% by 2013.” (InformationWeek) Tuesday “Medicare Opens EHR ‘Meaningful Use’ Attestation” (InformationWeek) “How mobile health can abide by HIPAA” (MobiHealthNews) “State of mobile and wireless healthcare” (video/slides of my recent presentation to M...

Understanding and Promoting Health Literacy Grant

BHIC — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:12:45 +0100

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=52757 The ultimate goal of this program announcement is to encourage empirical research on health literacy concepts, theory and interventions as these relate to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services public health priorities that are outlined in its Healthy People initiative. Health literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Search for evidence based articles on health literacy using the NLM ‘pre-formulated’ search tool http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/queries/health_literacy.html (Source: BHIC)

Searching PubMed for Articles on Health Literacy

BHIC — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:55:10 +0100

The National Library of Medicine has created several “pre-formulated” searches in PubMed, the online index of the professional medical literature. If you are looking for evidence based articles, examples of ongoing research or other information, you can turn to these search queries for assistance: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/special_queries.html Recently the Health Literacy Special Query pre-formulated search was updated. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/queries/health_literacy.html You can find more resources on health literacy from NLM at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/queries/health_literacy.html [NLM Technical Bulletin Mar-April 2011 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/ma11/ma11_special_queries.html] (Source: BHIC)

CDC Launches New Health Literacy web site

BHIC — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:03:14 +0100

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) invites you to visit Health Literacy: Accurate, Accessible and Actionable Health Information for All, the agency’s new health literacy web site http://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy. The site provides information and tools to improve health literacy and public health and make health information accurate, accessible and actionable for all. The resources are for all organizations that interact and communicate with people about health, including public health departments, healthcare providers and facilities, health plans, government agencies, non-profit, community and advocacy organizations, childcare and schools, the media, and health-related industries. The site features health literacy organizations by state and planning tools to use the N...

Where Is The Worst Health Information On The Internet? The Huffington Post

Better Health — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Going to the Huffington Post for medical information is perhaps comparable to going to Vito Corleone for advice on income tax compliance. Another prominent blogger refers to is as “that hive of scum and quackery,” a lovely and accurate epithet for a media outlet which provides refuge and cover for anti-vaccationists, homeopaths and practictioners of reiki and other such pseudoscientific twaddle. I avoid the HuffPo like the plague. But, like a moth to the flame, sometimes I can’t help myself, and when a facebook friend (and former blogger) pointed to this contrarian article, my interest was piqued and I had to check it out. Is High Blood Pressure Overtreated? Dr. Dennis Gottfried, Associate professor, University of Connecticut Medical School First of all, I don’...

InformationWeek’s Healthcare CIO 25

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 04:46:38 +0100

I’ve been starting to contribute a bit to InformationWeek. One of my first projects was interviewing five of the publication’s first-ever list of 25 leading healthcare CIOs. I wrote the profiles on Stephanie Reel of Johns Hopkins Health System, Lynn Vogel of MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Paul Tang of Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Bill Spooner of Sharp HealthCare and Craig Luigart of the Veterans Health Administration. The link above contains the full text, or you can download an abbreviated “print” edition in the form of the March InformationWeek Healthcare e-zine here. It’s not the first time I’ve written about CIOs for a national publication not specific to healthcare, but I’m pretty proud of reaching the pages of InformationWeek. Meanwhile, che...

Patients Don’t Want To Communicate With Their Doctors On Facebook

Better Health — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:00:00 +0100

Patients may not want to discuss clinical matters via social media, but they’d gladly set pay their bills when reminded. Social media’s value in communicating with patients is limited to the administrative aspects of it. Americans still want traditional ways of communication when they need a clinical consult. A survey finds 84% would not use social media or instant messaging channels for medical communication if their doctors offered it, according to the communications firm Capstrat. Respondents were more favorable toward conferring with the doctor via e-mail (52%) than they were by Twitter and Facebook (11%), chat or instant messaging (20%) or a private online forum (31%). Even among those 18 to 29 years old, 21% said they would take advantage of an online forum if their docto...

Keys to Safety Campaign and Free Materials

BHIC — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:18:58 +0100

http://www.proliteracy.org/keystosafety/ Through May 2011, ProLiteracy is sponsoring the Keys to Safety Campaign, a national effort that promotes fire prevention and home safety education through local adult education and literacy programs. ProLiteracy is providing free materials and support to help Adult Basic Education, literacy, and ESL programs organize Keys to Safety activities in their communities, independently or in collaboration with area fire departments. Free fire and life safety materials for teachers and tutors to use with adult learners in instructional settings are also available through Keys to Safety. The materials are designed to reinforce reading and writing skills within the context of fire prevention and safety education Residential fires are an important public health...

Impact of Low Health Literacy

BHIC — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:35:40 +0100

Low Health Literacy Linked to Higher Risk of Death and More Emergency Room Visits and Hospitalizations http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2011/lowhlitpr.htm Low health literacy in older Americans is linked to poorer health status and a higher risk of death, according to a new evidence report by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). More than 75 million English-speaking adults in the United States have limited health literacy, making it difficult for them to understand and use basic health information. [Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Update] (Source: BHIC)

ONC Seeks Public Comment on the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan: 2011-2015

Healthcare IT News Blog — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:06:13 +0100

Providing strategic leadership to public and private sector efforts to improve health and health care through the use of information and technology is a key responsibility of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

Recorded Webinar: Health Literacy in the Real World: Awareness, Ideas and Solution

BHIC — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:08:00 +0100

http://nnlm.gov/mcr/education/online.html#A10 On March 17, 2011 Michael Villaire, MLSM, Institute for Healthcare Advancement presented “Health Literacy in the Real World: Awareness, Ideas and Solution“. This session looked at some of the problems created by poor health literacy, discussed programs and ideas to help improve it on both the patient and provider side, and reviewed some solutions. All the materials are found online at http://nnlm.gov/mcr/education/online.html#A10 Recording: https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p50517990/ PDF of the PowerPoint http://nnlm.gov/mcr/education/pdf/Health_Literacy_Real_World.pdf List of resources recommended by attendees http://nnlm.gov/mcr/education/docs/IHA_Chat_Resources.doc (Source: BHIC)

How Academic and Government "Anecdotes Are Not Data" Ideologues Kill People

Health Care Renewal — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:05:00 +0100

I'm already receiving comments that, regarding Prof. Jon Patrick's detailed exposé of the dangers of ill-suited-for-purpose ED EHR's, Patrick's observations are:... not really valid because they're not peer reviewed; they're just anecdotal. Only an egghead could pen such words.I always get hives immediately after eating strawberries. But without a scientifically controlled experiment with all the right peer review, it's not reliable data. So I continue to eat strawberries every day, since I can't tell if they cause hives.I'd already written about anecdotalist refrains at my Mar. 7, 2011 post "Australian ED EHR Study: Putting the Lie to the Line "Your Evidence Is Anecdotal, Thus Worthless" Used by Eggheads, Fools and Gonifs." In that essay I cite Dr. Patrick himself on "anecdotal evidence"...

Yelp and Therapist Reviews

World of Psychology — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:58:53 +0100

Should you be able to review your psychotherapist on Yelp? That’s the question psychologist Keely Kolmes asks in The New York Times the other day, and the answer is — yes, but. There’s certainly nothing wrong with the idea behind having public reviews of health care professionals, including psychologists and therapists. But as Dr. Kolmes notes, what makes sense for a housekeeper, plumber or restaurant review becomes a bit difficult when dealing with confidential health information — which includes a person’s relationship with a therapist. A psychotherapy relationship is a very unique relationship. A person can have a bad therapy experience with a perfectly good therapist, and vice-a-versa. The current set of review websites, like Yelp, really aren’t very...

How e-Patients Find Answers And Each Other Online

Better Health — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:00:52 +0100

[Recently] NPR’s popular program “Talk of the Nation” covered something we discuss often: How e-patients find information and find each other online. Featured guests were Pat Furlong, mother of two boys with a rare disease who started an online community, and Susannah Fox of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a frequent contributor here. The audio is here. It’s a good combination: Pat speaks from the heart about her own experience and her passion for community, and Susannah, as usual, speaks as an “internet geologist” — as she once put it, “A geologist doesn’t have opinions about the rocks, she just observes and describes them.” Susannah spoke about her newly-released report “Peer-To-Peer Healthcare,” about which she recently wrote here. L...

A Helpful Vitamin Chart

Better Health — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:00:54 +0100

Lately I’ve been worrying about Kevin’s refusal to eat broccoli, and wondering what exactly is so good about those green bunches of roughage. In browsing the Web for more detailed information on the matter, I found a helpful vitamin chart. This table comes from the HHS–sponsored National Women’s Health Information Center — a good spot to know of if you’re a woman looking online for reliable sources. It’s a bit simple for my taste. In the intro, we’re told there are 13 essential vitamins our bodies need. After some basics on Vitamin A — good for the eyes and skin, as you probably knew already — the chart picks up with a quick review of the essential B vitamins 1, 2 ,3 ,5 ,6 , 9 and 12 (my favorite), followed by a rundown on Vitamins C, D, E, H (that would be biotin) and ...

Is That the Foul Odor of Dirty Socks I'm Smelling From Down Under?

Health Care Renewal — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:48:00 +0100

We at Healthcare Renewal have had experience with the corporate sock puppets. They are shills, a person working on behalf of a company, attempting to use distraction, ad hominem, misdirection and other psyops tactics to attack points of view they don't like. They also plant memes their sponsor finds desirable.They are universally anonymous in their postings.One got careless and got nailed via IP forensics, as at my Jan. 2010 post "More on Perversity in the Healthcare IT World: Is Meditech Employing Sockpuppets?" and my semi-satirical followup post a few days later, "Socky the Meditech Sockpuppet on Vacation?" after he/she disappeared after exposure.A Healthcare Renewal reader with an MBA at that time non-anonymously related the following (emphases mine):In reading this thread of comments I...

Malpractice risk and the EMR

Notes from Dr. RW — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:58:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

March ‘Health Affairs’ out tomorrow with health IT studies

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:49:09 +0100

The policy journal Health Affairs has just put out a media advisory noting that the March issue, which comes out tomorrow, will have at least three articles devoted to health IT. From the advisory (verbatim): Studies on EHR: Neil Fleming and colleagues shed light on the financial and nonfinancial resources a small practice needs to implement an EHR system. Using data from a physician network in north Texas, the authors estimate that the average cost to implement EHRs is $46,659 per physician. Use of EHRs will be accelerated because more than four in five office-based doctors are eligible for federal “meaningful use” incentives, says Brian Bruen of George Washington University and colleagues. Their analysis also highlights gaps in eligibility that must be addressed to further incre...

Post-HIMSS Health Wonk Review is heavy on health IT

Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:58:59 +0100

The first Health Wonk Review since last week’s HIMSS conference is up, courtesy of Jared M. Rhoads of the Lucidicus Project. While I’m no fan of organization’s ideological bent (it seems to think CMS Administrator Don Berwick is more interested in socialism than in improving healthcare), I’m happy to say this roundup has more IT than normal. For one thing, Rhoads mentions my post detailing my injury at HIMSS and the consumerism and EMR use that played into the care I received at a walk-in clinic in Orlando, Fla. I’m happy to report that I got the stitches out on Tuesday and the deep laceration is healing well. There’s a good chance that the resulting scar might kind of blend into my eyebrow, so I’m hoping it won’t be too conspicuous. Four oth...

IOM Committee on Patient Safety and Health IT, Meeting Two: Institute of Medicine, or Institute of Mediocrity?

Health Care Renewal — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 02:40:00 +0100

In my Jan. 2011 post "Institute of Medicine Committee on Patient Safety and Health Information Technology, and Thoughts on Social Aspects of Health IT Evaluation" I wrote that:The U.S. National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences issued a report in early 2009 on the state of health IT. That study's report, led in part by pioneers in Medical Informatics G. Octo Barnett and William Stead, was entitled "Computational Technology for Effective Health Care: Immediate Steps and Strategic Directions" (pre-publication PDF available free at this link). The report was announced under the following header:CURRENT APPROACHES TO U.S. HEALTH CARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ARE INSUFFICIENT The insufficiencies were largely in the areas of difficulties with data sharing and integration, deploy...

Dr. David Blumental Talks About Health Information Technology

BHIC — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:03:52 +0100

http://bit.ly/f35ej6 Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast David Blumenthal MD, MPP serves as the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (or Health IT) under President Barack Obama. Dr. Blumenthal is charged with building a secure nationwide health information system and supporting the widespread, meaningful use of Health IT. Dr. Blumenthal’s credentials are extensive. He not only was a practicing primary care physician but also is a renowned researcher and national authority on health IT. Dr. Blumenthal serves on numerous national boards and has authored over 200 scholarly publications, including “Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office,” which tells the history of U.S. Presidents’ involvement in health reform, from FDR through George W. Bush. In this pod...

Would you tolerate those occasional computer glitches in a commercial aircraft?

Notes from Dr. RW — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:10:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Book Review: “Tabloid Medicine: How The Internet Is Being Used To Hijack Medical Science For Fear And Profit”

Better Health — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:00:01 +0100

This was the Guest Blog at Scientific American on February 23rd, 2011. In his new book, “Tabloid Medicine: How The Internet Is Being Used to Hijack Medical Science for Fear and Profit,” Robert Goldberg, PhD, explains why the Internet is a double-edged sword when it comes to health information. On the one hand, the Web can empower people with quality medical information that can help them make informed decisions. On the other hand, the Web is an unfiltered breeding ground for urban legends, fear-mongering and snake oil salesmen. Goldberg uses case studies to expose the sinister side of health misinformation. Perhaps the most compelling example of a medical “manufactroversy” (defined as a manufactured controversy that is motivated by profit or extreme ideology to in...

Docs' attitudes about EMRs

Notes from Dr. RW — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:12:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

IHA Annual Health Literacy Conference Offers Discount to Medical Librarians!

BHIC — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:33:24 +0100

The Institute for Healthcare Advancement is hosting its 10th Annual Health Literacy Conference: “Health Literacy = Effective Communication: Translating Ideas Into Practice” May 4-6, 2011 in Irvine, California. Registration is open now. Use the code “NNLM11″ when you register, and you will receive a $50.00 discount on your registration! For more information on the conference, go online to http://www.iha4health.org/default.aspx/MenuItemID/226.htm Save the Date for Virtual Participation! IHA will be holding an interactive virtual preconference session on May 4th to discuss the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy. The first part of this session will be available to anyone in the country. Join in the social media discussion and hear how other organizatio...

Special Guest Speaker for Webinar on Health Literacy!

BHIC — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:22:49 +0100

March 17th 10MT/11CT Guest Speaker: Michael Villaire, MSLM Chief Operating Officer, Institute for Healthcare Advancement Health Literacy in the Real World: Awareness, Ideas, Solutions Poor health literacy is a major issue in the United States. We see examples of how it affects patients, providers, and the healthcare system every day. This session will look at some of the problems created by poor health literacy, discuss programs and ideas to help improve it on both the patient and provider side, and review some solutions. The upcoming IHA Health Literacy Conference http://bit.ly/hk0B5U will be reviewed, as well as a discussion of the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy. This webinar is FREE. Register online at http://tinyurl.com/mcrclasses (registration is not required but is a...

The EMR facilitates higher coding. What does it really mean?

Notes from Dr. RW — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:03:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Consumer Health Information: The New Third Party In The Exam Room

Better Health — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:00:39 +0100

It was sometime in the mid-nineties that parents started showing up in my office with reams of paper. Inkjet printouts of independently unearthed information pulled from AltaVista and Excite. Google didn’t exist. In the earliest days of the Web, information was occasionally leveraged by families as a type of newfound control. A young father and his inkjet printer One case sticks clearly in my mind. It was that of a toddler with medically unresponsive acid reflux and chronic lung disease. After following the child for some time, the discussion with the family finally moved to the option of a fundoplication (anti-reflux surgery). On a follow-up visit the father had done his diligence and appeared in the office with a banker box brimming with printed information. He had done his homewo...

1 in 10 jobs in the U.S. is in health care – an all-time high that will go even higher

Disruptive Women in Health Care — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:54:40 +0100

By Jane Sarasohn-Kahn. In February 2011, 1 in 10 jobs in the U.S. is in health care employment; nearly 14 million people in the U.S. work in health care employment, with health care representing 10.7% of all jobs in America. The growth rate of health care jobs rose 1.2 percentage points since the recession kicked in late 2007. Since the start of the recession, health employment grew 6.3%; the number of non-health jobs fell by 6.8%. The chart starkly illustrates this story (click the chart to enlarge for easier reading). Altarum Institute has crunched the health job numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and published their analysis in Health Sector Economic Indicators, published February 9, 2011. Altarum’s top-line: health care employment has reached an “all-time high�...

WebMD vs. MayoClinic.com – Reliable Medical Information

eHealth — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 20:27:51 +0100

In an article in the New York Times Magazine today, Virginia Heffernen discusses a Prescription of Fear. She contrasts the WebMD approach to health information with that of MayoClinic.com, opposing what she sees at a for-profit website with major funding from drug companies on the one hand with a respected non-profit medical institution on the other. In comparing the two sites on the topic of headache, for one thing, she uses a Google search to find content on the sites rather than the sites own search engine and then claims that one has advertising and drives uses to prescription usage while the other does not. I tested this with the term Fibromyalgia. It turns out that both sites display an add from Pfizer on the landing page, MayoClinic also has ads by Google but WebMD did not. WebMD ...

2011 Predictions: MU Goes Tactical, ACO Strategic

Healthcare IT News Blog — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:53:35 +0100

In the Healthcare IT (HIT) market, 2010 was the year of meaningful use (MU). Healthcare organizations (HCOs) of all sizes developed plans, began making IT modifications and began adopting the technology they needed to meet Stage One MU requirements and subsequently receive incentive payments, some of which began being disbursed in late 2010. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

Electronic health technologies: the gap between claims and evidence

Notes from Dr. RW — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:57:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Is HITECH next on the Republican chopping block?

Notes from Dr. RW — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:33:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Huge ambulatory study finds no impact of EMR on “quality”

Notes from Dr. RW — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:31:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Is the EMR slowing you down? Hire a scribe!

Notes from Dr. RW — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:14:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Reach Out and Read!

BHIC — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:01:15 +0100

Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast #52: Reach Out and Read: Encouraging Literacy and Health Literacy from Childhood On http://bit.ly/dGdAlr Perri Klass, MD, FAAP, is the National Medical Director of Reach Out and Read—a non-profit initiative that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide. Reach Out and Read gives new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud. For more on the Reach Out and Read Program: http://www.reachoutandread.org/ (Source: BHIC)

How Doctors Feel About Patients Who Google Their Symptoms

Better Health — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:00:37 +0100

Many doctors roll their eyes whenever patients bring in a stack of research they printed out, stemming from a Google search of their symptoms. A piece by Dr. Zachary Meisel on TIME.com describes a familiar scenario: The medical intern started her presentation with an eye roll. “The patient in Room 3 had some blood in the toilet bowl this morning and is here with a pile of Internet printouts listing all the crazy things she thinks she might have.” The intern continued, “I think she has a hemorrhoid.” “Another case of cyberchondria,” added the nurse behind me. It’s time to stop debating whether patients should research their own symptoms. It’s happening already, and the medical profession would be better served to handle this new reality. According to the Pew Internet and ...

The EMR dogma

Notes from Dr. RW — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:35:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Medical apps for smart phones

Notes from Dr. RW — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 12:47:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Surgeon General’s Perspectives for Improving Health by Improving Health Literacy

BHIC — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:07:07 +0100

http://bit.ly/hVjDxg Public Health Reports Volume 125, Issue 6 Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA, VADM, USPHS Surgeon General “As clinicians, what we say does not matter unless our patients are able to understand the information we give them well enough to use it to make good health-care decisions. Otherwise, we didn’t reach them, and that is the same as if we didn’t treat them.” (Source: BHIC)

Great Story About Value of Healthcare Information

EMR and HIPAA — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:22:08 +0100

I recently got a message from Jerry Theis of MyCrisisRecords. He sent me a story that I thought was a great way to start off the new year. It talks about the value of health care data interoperability and in this case a device and PHR with a person’s health information. Enjoy the story! Yesterday, one of my members called me to tell me she was taken to the emergency room suffering combinations of complications caused by a rare condition, Polymorphous along with a flare up of fibromyalgia which caused to her go into cardiac arrest. The ER doctors were able to effectively treat her because she had her digital device which provided them all of her medications, conditions, allergies (she is allergic to latex). Because of this rare condition and her acute distress she was told by the doct...

Institute of Medicine Committee on Patient Safety and Health Information Technology, and Thoughts on Social Aspects of Health IT Evaluation

Health Care Renewal — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:25:00 +0100

The U.S. National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences issued a report in early 2009 on the state of health IT.That study's report, led in part by pioneers in Medical Informatics G. Octo Barnett and William Stead, was entitled "Computational Technology for Effective Health Care: Immediate Steps and Strategic Directions" (pre-publication PDF available free at this link). The report was announced under the following header:CURRENT APPROACHES TO U.S. HEALTH CARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ARE INSUFFICIENT The insufficiencies were largely in the areas of difficulties with data sharing and integration, deployment of new IT capabilities, large-scale data management, and lack of cognitive support by health IT for busy clinicians.One might reasonably conclude such deficits could affect...

Using the EMR to reduce ventilator associated lung injury

Notes from Dr. RW — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:05:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Making 2011 “Meaningful”

Better Health — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0100

Today, $27 billion in incentives begin for using electronic medical records, as office- and hospital-based providers begin to register for meaningful use criteria. Providers must use a certified system according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid meaningful-use guidelines for 90 consecutive days within the first year of the program to qualify. Eligible professionals can receive up to $44,000 over five years under the program. There’s an additional incentive for eligible professionals who provide services in a Health Professional Shortage Area. To get the most money, Medicare-eligible professionals must begin by 2012. By 2015, Medicare-eligible professionals and hospitals that do not demonstrate meaningful use get punished. (more…) *This blog post was originally publis...

Health Literacy Conferences

BHIC — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:15:32 +0100

4th Biennial Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit http://www.healthliteracywisconsin.org/events.jsp April 12-13, 2011 Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI Health Literacy Wisconsin, a division of Wisconsin Literacy, Inc., and the Wisconsin Research and Education Network (WREN) are pleased to co-present the 4th Biennial Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit, to be held April 12-13, 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin. This event brings together nationally important voices in the fields of health care, adult literacy and health care policy to address health literacy from an interdisciplinary perspective. Registration for this event will open in late January 2011. The Institute for Healthcare Advancement’s 10th Annual Health Literacy Conference http://bit.ly/7rGfnJ May 5-6, 2011 Hyatt Regency, Irvine, Ca...

Good Health Information Can Save Lives

Better Health — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:00:36 +0100

My colleagues at Harvard Health Publications and I have a mission: To provide accurate, reliable information that will help readers live healthier lives. We work hard to fulfill that mission, and the feedback we get from folks who read our newsletters, Special Health Reports, books, and online health information indicates we are on the right track. Every so often we hear something from a reader that makes me especially proud of the work we do. This letter was recently sent to the editor of the Harvard Women’s Health Watch: One of your mailings undoubtedly saved me a lot of grief. (My kids, anyway.) I was aware of a woman’s heart attack symptoms being different from a man’s, and your brochure contained a paragraph confirming that. Early in June I was packing for a trip to celebrate my...

HealthMash: A Next-Generation Health Information Search Engine

Better Health — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 20:00:26 +0100

HealthMash, WebLib’s next-generation semantic health search engine, will release an iPhone application in January. It utilizes proprietary natural language processing and semantic technology tools and resources in order to find highly relevant, reliable, and recent health information from the most trusted sources and facilitate user exploration and discovery. *This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll* (Source: Better Health)

Health 2.0: Is It A Threat To The Medical Profession?

Better Health — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:00:04 +0100

The Internet has threatened journalism. Clay Shirky has said that everyone is a media outlet. An Internet connection and blogging platform makes everyone a publisher. Can the mass professionalization of journalism be applied to medicine or health? Can access to a broadband connection outfit a citizen to think and act like a physician? There are pieces of what physicians do that can be replicated, and other pieces that can’t. The technical things that doctors do can’t be replaced. Removing an appendix or replacing a heart valve, for example. Tough to pull off on CureTogether. But what about the thinking? After all, patients have access to the same information, references, and literature as physicians. Unfettered access to information can create an illusion. It can give us a fals...

Using Supplements Wisely

BHIC — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:02:27 +0100

FDA: Tainted products marketed as dietary supplements potentially dangerous Agency working with trade associations to increase company vigilance and protect public http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm236967.htm In a letter sent today to dietary supplement manufacturers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expressed concern about undeclared or deceptively labeled ingredients in products marketed as dietary supplements. These substances include the active ingredients in FDA-approved drugs or their analogs (closely-related drugs), or other compounds, such as novel synthetic steroids, that do not qualify as dietary ingredients. [Press Release from the FDA, written by Siobhan DeLancey] Get the Facts on Using Dietary Supplements Wisely from the National Center for Comp...

Podcast: Communicating about Health with Older Adults

BHIC — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:37:00 +0100

http://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/ Listen to the latest podcasts from Health Literacy Outloud: Communicating about Health with Older Adults Carolyn Ijams Speros DNSc, FNP-BC, is a nationally recognized expert in nursing and patient education. Throughout her career, she has worked in nursing education, nursing administration, and advanced nursing practice with a focus on systems and strategies in nursing that promote patient education and health literacy. Dr. Speros is Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Memphis and also maintains a practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner. (Source: BHIC)

Hospital CIO confidence level for meeting meaningful use drops

Healthcare IT News Blog — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:00:10 +0100

A mid-November survey of 191 members of the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME) reveals that hospital CIOs are less confident they will meet Stage 1 meaningful use criteria and therefore not qualify early for EHR federal stimulus funds. Only 15 percent of respondents, compared to 28 percent of respondents in CHIME's August survey, believe they expect to qualify in the first six months of fiscal year 2011, which began in October of this year. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

2011 National Health Literacy Summer Institute

BHIC — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:13:16 +0100

http://www.healthliteracyinstitute.net/ June 5-8, 2011 Freeport, Maine Learn plain language skills to communicate your health messages quickly and clearly to diverse consumer audiences. The Institute offers: Excellence in training, materials, and venue Hands-on learning followed by individualized coaching Proven track record and hundreds of satisfied participants [HealthLiteracy listserv] (Source: BHIC)

Decision Support for Patients Making Life-Changing Choices Podcast

BHIC — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:08:35 +0100

http://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/ Jeff Belkora is a faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco and runs the Medical Center’s Decision Services program. In this podcast talks about: How decision support helps patients reflect critically on life-changing choices. Strategies and systems to help patients understand decisions and communicate effectively. Lessons learned that listeners can use in their day-to-day practice. (Source: BHIC)

WVHIN: Public Comment Period on Proposed Privacy and Security Policies

Health Care Law Blog — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:02:03 +0100

The West Virginia Health Information Network (WVHIN), West Virginia's health information exchange, has issued proposed privacy and security policies and is seeking public comments on the proposed policies from December 3, 2010 through January 3, 2011. The WVHIN is a public/private partnership created in 2006 under W.Va. Code 16-29G-1 et seq. and is charged with building a secure electronic health information system for the exchange of patient data among physicians, hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, other care providers, and other stakeholders.The proposed privacy and security policies that are available for review and comment are as follows:Patient Consent - GeneralPatient Consent - Permissible Purpose Patient Consent - Sensitive Health InformationUser AuthorizationUser AuthenticationPat...

Is Anyone Looking At Drug Company Web Sites?

Pharmalot — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:19:11 +0100

Not too many people do. At least that’s the finding of a recent survey, which found 66 percent of the respondents go online for health info, but only 11 percent regularly turn to a web site run by a drugmaker for info about an illness or medical condition. By comparison, 92 percent look at medical web sites, social media sites and online communities, such as chat rooms and forums, or a news or government site. Just the same, 69 percent of the 852 US adults who queried by Accenture’s Life Sciences sales and marketing practice expect drugmakers to provide info about a medical condition for which they are taking drugs. The suggestion is clear: pharma is failing to seize an opportunity while grappling with FDA regulations and the ins and outs of the Internet. While pharmaceutical ...

5 Tips For Diagnosing Yourself Online

Better Health — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 14:00:20 +0100

“What’s the highest peak in North America, Mt. McKinley or Denali?” This is a great question the Web can answer for you. “What’s that lump on my neck?” This is another great question — but not one you should rely on the Web to solve. Best Doctors recently conducted a Twitter-based poll to find out what channels of information people use to get healthcare advice. It turns out, 54 percent of respondents use the Web as their primary source of information. Is this kind of do-it-yourself medicine a good idea? I’m a firm believer that you should do everything you can to make sure you’re getting the right care when you’re sick. But before you start your do-it-yourself journey, here are five things to keep in mind: 1. To get the right answer, you need to a...

Walled Gardens vs. the Open Web: A Central Debate in Tech Finally Coming to Healthcare

e-CareManagement — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:30:33 +0100

The September issue of Wired magazine and an article in last Sunday’s New York Times illustrate a central debate in technology circles. The debate is not new — it’s being going on for two decades — but it has newfound vibrancy. The essence of the debate is about competing tech/business models: walled gardens vs. the open world wide web (web). vs. The debate is highly controversial and nuanced. There are “experts” on both sides. My point today is not to take sides (although I’ll admit my canine partiality to the open web), but rather: to point out that the debate is occurring to explain what the discussions are about to suggest that competition between walled gardens vs. the open web is creating healthy competition and providing consumers with great choi...

New Survey: 1 in 10 Cell Phone Users Have Health Or Medical Apps

Better Health — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:00:07 +0100

A new survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows how the proliferation of smart mobile devices is causing a shift in the way users are accessing data and information on health. Some of the most interesting findings are related to the substantial number of users who actually have applications that help them manage and track their health. Some key findings from the survey: *17 percent of cell owners have used their phone to look up health or medical information on the Internet; 29 percent of cell owners ages 18 to 29 have done such searches. *9 percent of cell phone owners have apps they use to help track and manage health. *The heaviest use of health or medical related apps was by young adults: About 15 percent of those ages 18 to 29 have such apps, compared to 8 percen...

The Weekly Scoop in Healthcare Social Media #42

Fox ePractice — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 00:40:01 +0100

This article discusses not only some of those providers and their efforts but also addresses some concerns that LTC providers have when it comes to social media. Read the report… // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ new TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: 'profile', rpp: 2, interval: 6000, width: 250, height: 250, theme: { shell: { background: '#e4eff2', color: '#007e9a' }, tweets: { background: '#FBFBFB', color: '#595959', links: '#007e9a' } }, features: { scrollbar: false, loop: false, live: false, hashtags: true, timestamp: true, avatars: false, behavior: 'all' } }).render().setUser('longtermliving').start(); // ]]> This Week’s The Chair of Cheer “The Chair of Cheer” is our p...

“Small Steps”: Get Healthy Compliments Of Uncle Sam

Better Health — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:00:00 +0100

It makes my blogging life easier if I can just direct readers to a cool site, compliments of (drumroll…) — the U.S. government! The site, called Smallstep Adult and Teen, is filled with great healthy eating and exercise tips. Check it out and click around a bit. (Don’t ya’ just love the Internet?) From the site: Today’s lifestyle doesn’t allow much room for health. And that’s where Small Steps comes in. We know that it’s impossible for many people to make dramatic lifestyle changes. Instead, we want to help you learn ways that you can change small things about your life and see big results. *This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth* (Source: Better Health)

Cancer Prevention: How To Sift Through The Headlines

Better Health — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:00:57 +0100

Guest post submitted by MD Anderson Cancer Center Most of us can’t keep up with all the new ways to avoid cancer. Thanks to the Internet, we now have an unlimited supply of cancer knowledge at our fingertips. But, how can we filter out the good, the bad and the questionable? Below are steps to help you tease out the facts when reading that next big news story on preventing cancer. Says who? Don’t just take the writer’s word for it. Dig a little deeper to find out the source behind the hype. The American Cancer Society says you should ask yourself these questions when reading an article: Was this a press release from a company announcing a new breakthrough in cancer prevention? Was it a report from a clinical study that was given at a scientific conference? Was it a report from a st...

DiagnosisPro

Notes from Dr. RW — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:59:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Ever Google Your Doctor’s Name?

Better Health — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 22:00:01 +0100

Andrew takes you behind the scenes of what health information people are searching for online, and how we know: Popular Health Search: Your Doctor’s Name from Patient Power® on Vimeo. *This blog post was originally published at Andrew's Blog* (Source: Better Health)

The Weekly Scoop in Healthcare Social Media #39

Fox ePractice — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 20:21:25 +0100

At Fox ePractice we’re committed to providing you with everything you need to understand, position yourself, and to take advantage of the fundamental shift that is taking place in marketing a medical practice. To that end, each week this page will highlight some of the best content that we have come across on the web in order to further your knowledge of the opportunities before you. We will showcase both Healthcare Social Media experts who speak out on the subject, as well as those sites that demonstrate what we feel are healthy examples of how to put the concept of Web 2.0 to work for their healthcare businesses. So read on … and “get the scoop”: Top Five Reasons Dentists Will Not Use Social Media “Too Many Pieces” … Not “Not Enough Time” &...

The CPOE patient safety dogma is gradually coming apart at the seams

Notes from Dr. RW — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:01:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Friends And Searching For Health Information Online

Better Health — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:00:06 +0100

Turning to friends for online information is the hot topic within the Web world, and in Monday’s New York Times Technology and Business section, Jenna Wortham writes about how “Search Takes a Social Turn.” Online sites are taking notice of what people like. Web companies are trying to make searching online for information more useful by tapping into the inner thoughts of what people like: After a decade when search engines ruled supreme — tapping billions of Web pages to answer every conceivable query — many people now prefer getting their online information the old-fashioned way: by yakking across the fence. Turning to friends is the new rage in the Web world, extending far beyond established social networking sites and setting off a rush among Web companies looking for ways to...

The Weekly Scoop in Healthcare Social Media #38

Fox ePractice — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 22:12:59 +0100

At Fox ePractice we’re committed to providing you with everything you need to understand, position yourself, and to take advantage of the fundamental shift that is taking place in marketing a medical practice. To that end, each week this page will highlight some of the best content that we have come across on the web in order to further your knowledge of the opportunities before you. We will showcase both Healthcare Social Media experts who speak out on the subject, as well as those sites that demonstrate what we feel are healthy examples of how to put the concept of Web 2.0 to work for their healthcare businesses. So read on … and “get the scoop”: Caregivers’ Use of Online Health Information The results of this e-health study speak to the significant support that ca...

CPOE, medical ethics, patient safety

Notes from Dr. RW — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:43:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

No @ Sign for Healthcare

EMR and HIPAA — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:11:26 +0100

I recently heard Arien Malec from ONC summarize the biggest challenge of Healthcare Information Exchange (HIE) in one simple phrase: There’s no @ sign for healthcare It’s a really basic idea, but sadly cuts straight to one of the core reasons HIE isn’t happening. We don’t have a great way to authenticate, verify and address health information to another provider. Twitter has created this interesting concept of using @ to specify people. For example, you can find me @techguy and @ehrandhit. It’s amazing how quickly Twitter has created a whole new set of addresses where we can communicate with other people. Certainly it’s not designed for healthcare, but it’s amazing that they could create this whole new address system for people and organizations. A...

What's wrong with the way we use the EMR?

Notes from Dr. RW — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 12:44:00 +0100

(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)

Assessment: Ingenix Makes HIE Move Acquiring Axolotl

Healthcare IT News Blog — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:20:29 +0100

Last week, Ingenix announced that it would be acquiring Axolotl. Probably no one was happier than the folks at Gilat Satellite Networks who had invested $4.5M in Axolotl over ten years ago, had written off that investment during the dot-com bust in 2001 and now is looking at getting some $24M in cash plus another $3M by year’s end. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)

The Weekly Scoop in Healthcare Social Media #33

Fox ePractice — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:31:44 +0100

At Fox ePractice we’re committed to providing you with everything you need to understand, position yourself, and to take advantage of the fundamental shift that is taking place in marketing a medical practice. To that end, each week this page will highlight some of the best content that we have come across on the web in order to further your knowledge of the opportunities before you. We will showcase both Healthcare Social Media experts who speak out on the subject, as well as those sites that demonstrate what we feel are healthy examples of how to put the concept of Web 2.0 to work for their healthcare businesses. So read on … and “get the scoop”: yes Target your social media use to your intended audience “… physicians trying to establish their own reputations ...

Real Mental Health is HealthyPlace?

World of Psychology — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:56:00 +0100

Who runs Real Mental Health? Who owns Healthy Place.com? Are they one and the same? These are interesting questions to ask, because you can’t find such information on their websites. What makes it even more interesting is what recently happened to the Real Mental Health website that demonstrates a behind-the-scenes connection between these two sites — a connection not acknowledged anywhere on either site. Real Mental Health is a small mental health community built upon a third-party social networking suite of tools. The website used to reside at realmentalhealth.com. But at the end of May, the site suddenly went away without notice to its members. That’s when the intrigue began. It came back a week later at a different URL (realmentalhealthsite.com), with little explana...

The Weekly Scoop in Healthcare Social Media #31

Fox ePractice — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 22:08:35 +0100

At Fox ePractice we’re committed to providing you with everything you need to understand, position yourself, and to take advantage of the fundamental shift that is taking place in marketing a medical practice. To that end, each week this page will highlight some of the best content that we have come across on the web in order to further your knowledge of the opportunities before you. We will showcase both Healthcare Social Media experts who speak out on the subject, as well as those sites that demonstrate what we feel are healthy examples of how to put the concept of Web 2.0 to work for their healthcare businesses. So read on … and “get the scoop”: yes Oakwood Hospital Employee Fired for Facebook Posting “The reason they gave me was that I violated HIPAA regulatio...

HIEs in the Public Interest

Healthcare IT News Blog — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:44:46 +0100

The Health Information Exchange (HIE) market is the Wild West right now. Vendors are telling us that they are seeing an unprecedented level of activity both for private and public HIEs. Private HIEs are being set-up by large and small healthcare organizations to more tightly align affiliated physicians to a hospital or IDN to drive referrals and longer term, better manage transitions in care in anticipation of payment reform. Public HIEs are those state driven initiatives that have blossomed with the $560M+ of federal funding via the HITECH Act. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog)