AI program diagnoses abuse Oct 27, 2009
Each hospital or doctor keeps separate patient records but often fail to share those records. Keeping one, consolidated electronic record of a patient activity would enable the software to detect abuse. (MSNBC -- Environment)
HHS faces hurdles on electronic exchange of medical lab results Oct 21, 2009
While approximately one-quarter of physicians nationally have an EHR, many still receive faxed lab results that are either manually entered or scanned into the patient record. This is a limitation of both the lab and EHR industry, Frohlich said. (FCW.com)
Click to read:Life-Saving H1N1 Drug Unavailable to Most Oct 20, 2009
Patient records are not public, but an unofficial CBS News count found at least eight critically ill patients who recovered or are still recovering on Peramivir. We found two who died. (CBS News)
What works -- and what doesn't -- in medical informatics: New journal to launch in December Oct 15, 2009
According to its editors, the creation of Applied Clinical Informatics, the official publication of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA), reflects the booming demand for information about the pitfalls and promise of such proliferating tools as electronic patient records and online pharmacy orders. Target audiences include clinicians on the front lines already using clinical software, hospital and pharmacy executives, clinical informatics specialists and policymakers focused... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
New study looks at re-identification risks Oct 14, 2009
Dr. El Emam's study, titled "Evaluating the Risk of Re-identification of Patients from Hospital Prescription Records", demonstrates the importance of ensuring the proper de-identification of patient records. The study demonstrates a methodology for deciding which data to keep and which to de-identify, since hospital prescription data contains details such as where patients live and when they were admitted to the hospital. (EurekAlert!)
Medical Miscues Underscore Need for E-Health Records Oct 13, 2009
A bored clerk faxes over dozens of patient records to a toll-free number at a government health agency. Routine, right. (Fox News)
Clovis hospital to begin $285m project next year Oct 9, 2009
Dr. James E. Sanders is a big believer of switching patient records from old paper files to sophisticated computer databases. The electronic medical records system at the Department of Veterans Af 00004000 fairs' Kansas City Medical Center gives Sanders and his staff almost immediate access to medical histories, allowing them to seamlessly treat veterans from other states. (Fresno Bee -- Business)
CTG, UB team on $29M medical project Oct 8, 2009
A prototype of the disease tracking software, developed by Bessette with UB researchers and computer scientists and CTG software engineers, was pre-tested for feasibility by following 1,300 patient records for 13 months ... CTG has been working with the university to develop the IT system to enable shared patient records across UBMD as well as identify health markers symptomatic of kidney disease and diabetes. (Buffalo Business First, NY)
Former Yale lab tech appears in court; hearing set Oct 7, 2009
"If the investigation confirms there was inappropriate access of patient records, severe disciplinary action will be taken up to and including termination," Conroy said in a statement. . (Muscatine Journal, IO)
Suspect in Yale students murder faces judge Oct 7, 2009
"If the investigation confirms there was inappropriate access of patient records, severe disciplinary action will be taken up to and including termination," Conroy said in a statement. More on. (MSNBC -- Crime)
Mafia Turns to Medicare Fraud Oct 7, 2009
Medicare-fraud investigations used to focus mainly on patient records and financial papers, but now the crime scenes are increasingly bloody. In 2007, authorities found Juana Gonzalez lying in a pool of blood on the floor of her Miami pharmacy. (Time.com)
Hidden abuse diagnoses; middle age weight gain hurts health after 70 Oct 5, 2009
Boston researchers have developed a novel use for electronic medical records: By analyzing data in patient records, they say they were able to identify likely victims of domestic abuse an average of two years before a diagnosis was actually made. Ben Reis and his colleagues from Children s Hospital Boston studied six years of hospital admissions and emergency visits for patients over 18 years old. (Boston Globe)
Vets Loving Socialized Medicine Show Government Health Care Offers Savings Oct 3, 2009
They can call up patient records, order prescriptions, peer at a recent X-ray or graph a chart of risk factors and medications to decide treatments. The home page for each patient has boxes for allergies and medications, records every visit, call and note, and issues prompts reminding doctors to make routine checks. (Bloomberg)
Doctor investigated after patients die of overdoses Oct 2, 2009
They seized patient records, Volusia County sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said. Volusia County residents are among Chambers' patients who died from overdoses, sheriff's officials said. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Work begins on national e-health record network Oct 2, 2009
Dr. James E. Sanders is a big believer of switching patient records from old paper files to sophisticated computer databases ... Regional groups, which use bridge programs to allow health care providers in a city or state to view patient records in each others databases, have shown some success hurdling the differences between records software. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Medical practices large and small moving toward electronic record-keeping Sep 30, 2009
So it s trying to coordinate all of the technologies together into one patient record, Goffman said. Goffman now e-mails prescriptions to pharmacies. (KHOU.com, TX)
Certain cancers more common among HIV patients than non-HIV patients Sep 26, 2009
The researchers, using data from more than 100,000 patient records in the U.S. Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, found that when the statistics were adjusted for gender, race/ethnicity and age, HIV-infected patients were 60 percent more likely to have anal, lung, Hodgkin's, melanoma or liver cancer than patients without HIV. The rate of prostate cancer was similar between the two groups, according to the report. "It's a genuine increase in the incidence of these cancers," said Dr. Roger... (EurekAlert!)
Britain's fiscal emergency: Deflating the state Sep 25, 2009
A project to create electronic patient records in the NHS is proving hugely expensive and has been beset by delays. Despite ministers claims of efficiency gains , the Office for National Statistics has recorded falling productivity in the public services in the decade to 2007. (The Economist)
Jackson Memorial records theft case grows Sep 23, 2009
A federal indictment relating to stolen patient records at has been expanded to include a second defendant, Maria Victoria Suarez. The grand jury indictment, originally filed in July, alleges that Suarez and her husband, Ruben Rodriguez of Miami, bought patient records illegally from Rebecca Garcia from November 2006 to March ... Garcia, an ultrasound technician, had access to patient records. (South Florida Business Journal, FL)
Crackdown on using aliases for prescriptions Sep 23, 2009
"So If we know a specific doctor is overprescribing or prescribing without pathology, then we can look at his patient record and see if those names actually are true and correct names or are they actually false people.". The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating several doctors who treated Jackson before his death. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Ex-employee files whistleblower suit Sep 18, 2009
Community Treatment Center Inc. denies Kathleen Collins of Titusville was fired this summer after she raised questions about a supervisor, whom she claims lied about her educational and licensing credentials then fraudulently altered patient records to cover up the misrepresentations ... Collins said she was fired July 27, one business day after she e-mailed executive director Lori Jenkins about her belief that Denicola wasn't qualified to sign patient records and had changed patient charts to... (Florida Today)
N.H. researchers see toxin found in pond scum as possible cause of ALS Sep 14, 2009
Using patient records and mapping software, the Dartmouth-Hitchcock team looked for ALS clusters in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Their preliminary data suggest that the disease, also known as Lou Gehrig s disease, is about 2. (Boston Globe)
National network needs incentives too Sep 11, 2009
Exchanging patient records and population health data securely is central to the meaningful outcomes ascribed to electronic health records: improving the quality of care, sharing complete patient records among different health care organizations, supporting public health disease monitoring, and reducing medical errors. Health information exchange, in turn, will not thrive until the many different organizations, subnetworks and medical record systems can come together in a network in which they... (FCW.com)
New recommendations can help health providers prepare for electronic record push Sep 9, 2009
D., of the University of Texas School of Health Information Science at Houston, is an author of a commentary in JAMA titled "Eight rights of safe electronic health... A new framework of recommendations created by health informatics researchers may help doctors and hospitals prepare for a federal initiative to expand the use of electronic health records (EHRs). The recommendations from faculty at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs... (EurekAlert!)
Hospital chaplains want to join the health care team Sep 8, 2009
Modern chaplains say they re a part of the health care team, so much in charge of a person s spiritual health that they have access to patient records and chart spiritual and emotional conditions in them ... The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was created to tighten access to patient records. (Jacksonville Business Journal, FL)
Sore Throat on Aisle 4: Retail Clinics Match Quality of Doctor's Office Sep 2, 2009
Many of those concerns may be unfounded, according to the studies, based on patient records from a major insurer in Minnesota, where the clinics first emerged. The quality of care for treating three common acute afflictions , and urinary tract infections was just as good at retail clinics as at and urgent care centers, and better than (ERs), when checked against standard clinical treatment guidelines. (Scientific American)
Hospital records found in ex-employee's home Sep 1, 2009
Patient records do not contain Social Security numbers but might have addresses or other personal information, Mr. Wilson said. Employee records might or might not contain Social Security numbers, he said. (The Augusta Chronicle)
Radiologist Technician Job Requirem... Aug 29, 2009
A radiologist technician is also responsible for maintaining the x-ray machines, managing patient record files, and making sure the radiology department is running efficiently. Organizing work schedules is also part of the job. (Suite101.com)
SSA testing Microsoft HealthVault Aug 29, 2009
The agency recently issued asking vendors to propose how to link more providers records through the NHIN. SSA also is working with MedVirginia to test sharing of digital patient records in that state. About the Author. (FCW.com)
Santangelo: Modernizing Electronic Health Records Key to Unlocking Industry Efficiencies Aug 28, 2009
Iron Mountain Inc., which provides information protection and storage services to one-third of the U.S. market (more than 2,000 hospitals in 43 states), takes a different view: Cost efficiencies do exist yielding perhaps $60 billion in savings over the next decade but only if Washington mandates a national standard for the treatment and custody of patient records ... A tremendous amount of the current cost of maintaining patient records come from the labor involved and the rents paid to manage... (Roll Call)
What is a Thin Client, and Why Should You Care? Aug 28, 2009
In industries such as healthcare, where adherence to privacy regulations is of paramount importance, thin clients can give medical personnel access to patient records without concerns about confidential information being downloaded. Thin clients also use less energy than standard desktops and notebooks. (SmallBusinessComputing)
Studies show dramatic decline in rheumatoid vasculitis in US veterans Aug 27, 2009
More than 37,000 patient records where a diagnosis of RA was noted qualified for the study and 92% of those being men with a mean age of 64. 9 years. (EurekAlert!)
Personal health records rule cracks down on vendors Aug 20, 2009
The economic stimulus law gave HHS $45 billion to distribute to doctors and hospitals to promote adoption of electronic health records, which are clinical patient records originated by a doctor or hospital. However, HHS also is giving some attention to PHRs. (FCW.com)
David Siegel: Health costs are crippling economy Aug 19, 2009
The new public plan would have lower administrative costs (that now consumes up to 30 percent of total health spending as opposed to Medicare, which uses 3 percent for overhead), have greater leverage to hold down prices (by being able to bargain with pharmaceutical companies to get lower prices for medications, for example), and the ability to demand the use of technology such as computerized patient records to improve patient care and safety. Importantly, patients with pre-existing health... (Sacramento Bee -- Opinion)
Tories unveil NHS database plans Aug 10, 2009
The Conservatives have promised huge cost savings for the NHS by scrapping government plans for a central database of patient records. Proposals include electronic medical notes being stored locally by GPs and hospitals and patients having online access to their medical records. (BBC News -- Technology)
Allscripts prescribes 125 new Raleigh jobs Aug 8, 2009
The Chicago-based company, formed last year by the merger of medical-software maker Allscripts with electronic health records-provider Misys Healthcare of Raleigh, sees a lucrative business opportunity in the Obama administration s efforts to entice doctors to transition patient records from filing cabinets to computer hard drives. That s the sweet spot of our business, says Allscripts Chief Operating Officer Eileen McPartland. (Triangle Business Journal)
Trustee to begin temporarily distributing patient records Aug 8, 2009
About 37,000 patient records are currently locked away in storage while the bankruptcy court settles on a workable way to distribute the records. The new effort to distribute records will be a temporary fix to help patients who did not get their records earlier. (Half Moon Bay Review, CA)
Featherstone Informatics Group, Inc. Named Exclusive Vendor for the American College of Cardiology's Practice-Based Data Registry Program Aug 4, 2009
Clinical Quality Improvement Pilot Program will gather 100,000 patient records ... FIG will coordinate the program's Electronic Health Record (EHR) interfacing and data extraction process beginning with gathering over 100,000 patient records. (PR Newswire)
Judge: No easy fix for medical-chart limbo Jul 30, 2009
Several local volunteers have offered to help the trustee deliver patient records, but Schoenmann has reportedly rebuffed their offer of help ... About seven weeks after the closure, the clinic board of directors filed for bankruptcy, turning over all assets including about 37,000 patient records to the trustee ... Dr. Grant Weiss, spokesman for the Phoenix Project, says Schoenmann had denied proposals from his group to secure and distribute the inventory of about 3,000 active patient records... (Half Moon Bay Review, CA)
Nightingale reports fiscal 2009 results Jul 30, 2009
3 million patient records under management, announces its financial results for the three and twelve month periods ended March 31, 2009. All results are reported in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. (Canada Newswire)
Michael Jackson Doctor's Las Vegas Home, Office Searched Jul 29, 2009
Police searched Dr. Conrad Murray's Houston office and storage locker last week. " Police appear to be building a manslaughter case against the cardiologist, who was hired by Jackson to be his private physician in the months leading up to the planned July 13 launch of the singer's 50-date comeback residency at London's O2 arena. According to DEA agents, along with LAPD detectives and Metro Las Vegas officers, served search warrants on Murray's home and the Global Cardiovascular Associates office... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Judge weighs in on clinic dispute Jul 25, 2009
Several volunteers have offered to help the trustee deliver patient records, but Schoenmann has reportedly rebuffed their aid. Schoenmann defended her actions on Friday, saying the question of how exactly to distribute medical records in an affordable way falls into a legal gray area. (Half Moon Bay Review, CA)
Beacon Hill Roll Call Jul 24, 2009
The unit would be allowed to verify that the office is clean and sanitary, has appropriate medical equipment and that proper patient records are being kept. Protect rainforests (H 3506) The Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight held a hearing on a proposal that would prohibit the state from purchasing and using wood grown in a tropical forest except when a public necessity exists and no other alternative is available. (Hamilton Wenham Chronicle, MA)
Getting down to business at former playpen Jul 22, 2009
The basement of the 113-year-old, 6,000-square-foot Victorian mansion has been converted into a computer room and storage area for patient records. Several speakers on Tuesday lauded Qualtere, 53, for opening a business Schenectady can take pride in. (Albany Times Union)
Health's black hole Jul 18, 2009
The lack of instantly accessible, up-to-the-minute electronic patient records contrasts oddly with the sophisticated lifesaving medical technology routinely available in hospitals ... Within about five years all Australians should be able to use their identifier to scan their medical records online by a secure connection that gives doctors and other authorised health professionals instant access to patient records ... Already signs of differences have emerged between the transition authority and... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
LA's computer overhaul opens privacy debate Jul 17, 2009
Andrea Terry, a former MedicAlert employee who was arrested last week on suspicion of sending 10,000 patient records to her personal e-mail account, has prior criminal convictions and a history of taking narcotic drugs from hospitals where she previously worked, court records show. Terry, 43, had gone from being a nurse who ducked into hospital restrooms to inject herself with morphine to six years of stable employment with MedicAlert before she was arrested Aug. 22 at her Oakdale home, records... (Fresno Bee -- State)
At Virginia Garcia's Hillsboro clinic, the future is now With help from Kaiser Permanente NW, electronic files replace paper records Jul 16, 2009
A glimpse into the room where the clinic stores its old patient records helps put the change into perspective. The tiny Medical Records Room is packed with charts that were pulled to accompany patients through each stage of their clinic visit, from intake to billing. (OregonLive, OR -- News)
Sun sets vote on Oracle deal Jul 15, 2009
It provides health care information technology and electronic patient records. DBJ sister papers the San Francisco Business Times, the Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal and the Kansas City Business Journal contributed. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
Gene Expression Findings A Step Toward Better Classification And Treatment Of Juvenile Arthritis Jul 9, 2009
(May 8, 2006) Childhood arthritis increases the risk of fractures, particularly during adolescence, according to a large study of British patient records. The researchers say that more targeted treatments. (Science Daily)
Genetic factors implicated in survival gap for breast, ovarian or prostate cancer Jul 9, 2009
The finding, an analysis of almost 20,000 patient records from 35 clinical trials, points to biological or genetic factors as the potential source of the survival gap ... The study analyzed patient records from clinical trials going back as far as 1974 conducted by the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG). (EurekAlert!)
No more chart chasing Jul 9, 2009
MONTROSE Montrose Memorial Hospital, along with local physicians, is headed towards a more cost effective and medically safer way of handling patient records. "There is an island of information that happens from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital that creates a problem," said Mike Lloyd, MMH's QHN project coordinator. (Montrose Daily Press, CO)
Cancer Gap Between Whites, Blacks May Be Biological in Part Jul 9, 2009
But this analysis of almost 20,000 patient records from the Southwest Oncology Group's database of 35 clinical trials found no statistical difference in survival based on race for several other cancers -- lung, colon, lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma. "The good news is that for most common cancers, if you get good treatment, your survival is the same regardless of race. But this is not the case for breast, ovarian and prostate cancers," study author Dr. Kathy Albain, a breast and lung... (MEDLINEplus)
OCEANSIDE: Tri-City, Scripps battle over which court will decide suit Jul 8, 2009
On June 26, the public hospital's legal team held a press conference to announce that they had asked the California Department of Public Health to examine patient records to determine whethr Scripps transfer practices were inappropriate. A spokesman for the state agency confirmed that the request was received, but would not say whether the department will investigate further. (North County Times)
How to maintain security without increasing the operational load on IT staff Jul 7, 2009
In other cases the organization's employees need new tools, such as a doctor using a laptop or tablet PC to get electronic patient records. With this LAN sprawl occurring in so many dimensions at once, IT would be hard pressed to stay in control of assets under the best of conditions. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
Predicting The Return Of Prostate Cancer: New Study Betters The Odds Of Success Jul 4, 2009
The information spans nearly 20 years of patient records at Johns Hopkins. The research was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program. (Science Daily)
McKinney man sentenced to 60 months in federal fraud scheme Jul 4, 2009
Officials estimate that Sanders and Akpan obtained more than 70 patient records as part of their scheme. They would immediately bill Medicare for false claims for power wheelchairs. (McKinney Courier-Gazette, TX)
Heritage Valley gets federal grant Jul 3, 2009
Earlier this year, Heritage Valley received a $661,500 grant from health insurance giant Highmark Inc. to help pay for the system, which allows doctors to write prescriptions electronically and access patient records from laptops and hand-held computers. The industry average cost of such systems is around $10,000 per doctor. (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA)
Agency will study health IT workflow Jul 3, 2009
For example, if a doctors office begins using e-prescribing or clinical decision support software to replace paperwork, presumably it would change the way patient records are originated, stored and distributed within the office and to outside parties. The agency said few standards are available in this arena. (FCW.com)
3 charged with getting TV anchor's medical records Jul 1, 2009
- Prosecutors have charged an Arkansas doctor and two former hospital workers with illegally accessing the patient records of a Little Rock television news anchorwoman brought to the hospital after being viciously attacked at her home. In documents filed Monday in U.S. District Court, prosecutors say the three former St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center staff members improperly accessed the records of KATV anchorwoman Anne Pressly on Oct. 20, the day she was brought in, or the day after. (Pine Bluff Commercial, AR)
Lee gets look at Buffalo Medical Group Jul 1, 2009
Buffalo Medical Group, which handles 415,000 outpatients per year, is in the process of updating its data systems and patient records to a paperless electronic format. CEO Daniel Scully said the electronic records will replace a warehouse full of 5,000 boxes of patient record. (Buffalo Business First, NY)
GP bodies support guidelines for use of patient records in medical research Jun 29, 2009
Patient records in general practice surgeries are a unique resource of information which can help medical researchers improve their understanding of disease, develop potential new treatments and improve patient care ... Today, the Wellcome Trust, the UK's largest medical research charity, publishes guidelines for best practice in the use of patient records for research purposes ... "We welcome the endorsement by the BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners of the guidelines for the use... (EurekAlert!)
Trustee moves to dismiss clinic bankruptcy Jun 27, 2009
But the trustee says she should not bear the cost or legal liability associated with storing and distributing the thousands of patient records from the shuttered clinic ... It is unclear what would happen to the inventory of patient records if the bankruptcy is nullified ... Most if not all of the assets from the clinic have been liquidated, leaving no resources to finance distributing patient records. (Half Moon Bay Review, CA)
Bad Test Results Often Not Reported to Patients Jun 24, 2009
Casalino and colleagues analyzed more than 5,000 patient records from 23 physician practices across the country, looking at screening tests for conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, blood tests for colon cancer and mammograms. They found doctors failed to inform patients 7. (Newsmax)
Hallmark Healths cancer program receives approval from the American College of Surgeons Jun 24, 2009
The approval follows a site visit where staff from the American College of Surgeons examined cancer registry data, attended a tumor board meeting, toured Hallmark Health s cancer center facilities and reviewed more than 50 patient records. We are honored to get this distinguished recognition from the American College of Surgeons, said Rebecca Eisenberg, MD, medical director of the Hallmark Health Cancer Center. (Medford Transcript, MA)
Physicians Frequently Fail To Inform Patients About Abnormal Test Results, Study Finds Jun 24, 2009
The analysis of 5,434 patient records from 23 physician practices across the country was led by Dr. Lawrence P. Casalino, chief of the Division of Outcomes and Effectiveness Research in the Department of Public Health of Weill Cornell Medical College, and published June 22 in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Dr. Casalino and his co-investigators revealed that groups using simple processes to manage test results had lower failures rates. (Science Daily)
