Healthcare IT management and organization

Population health approaches buoy value-based care

Value-based care extends population health's use of data analytics to identify care gaps and cost reductions. A prominent college dean sees the efforts always being connected. Continue Reading

Intermountain Healthcare executive talks FHIR standard

Stan Huff has spent years helping create what he believes is now one of the best standards for moving healthcare closer to interoperability. The Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) ... Continue Reading

Value-based care models, social determinants of health on HIMSS19 docket

The growing shift from traditional healthcare delivery models to value-based care models that focus on more holistic views of a patient will take center stage at HIMSS 2019. Continue Reading

Advice to healthcare CIOs: Be willing to share wins and losses

Being a successful CIO means building relationships across the healthcare industry and establishing a good team within an organization, the CHIME-HIMSS CIO of the Year says. Continue Reading

HL7 releases new FHIR standard, but don't expect true interoperability

Achieving interoperability is a major undertaking, something the FHIR standard alone won't be able to accomplish, according to one HL7 organizational member. Continue Reading

ONC updates, adds to Interoperability Standards Advisory

Rules and regulations proposed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology hang in limbo, thanks to the government shutdown. But that isn't stopping the federal ... Continue Reading

Microsoft's FHIR Server for Azure aids interoperability efforts

Microsoft is just one of several tech giants targeting healthcare organizations with the recent release of its new open source FHIR Server for its Azure cloud. Continue Reading

A guide to navigating the modern health IT infrastructure

Today's health IT infrastructure combines new technology like the cloud and AI with staples like EHRs, but cybersecurity is also critical to defend against increasing attacks. Continue Reading

Future of telemedicine is changing, thanks to emerging technologies

With further integration of AI and machine learning, the future of telemedicine will feature improved clinical workflow and patient experience enabled by better connections within systems. Continue Reading

Why the FHIR standard may not get us to interoperability

Too many versions of the FHIR API are floating around, and that could stall healthcare's move to interoperability. Can FHIR's supporters and detractors come together? Continue Reading

Questions about the FHIR standard? We have expert answers

Think you're in the know when it comes to the FHIR API? A hands-on FHIR training session at AMIA 2018 answered some questions you might not have thought to ask. Continue Reading

RSNA 2018 conference coverage and analysis

This essential guide features news and highlights from the 2018 RSNA conference, which will cover innovations in radiology and medical imaging, and a refresher of last year's show. Continue Reading

Future of connected healthcare includes chatbots, Medicare changes

Remote patient monitoring and chatbots will be mainstream in healthcare -- eventually. Partners HealthCare's Joseph Kvedar, M.D., offers his view on why it takes so long. Continue Reading

CHIME Most Wired survey: Interoperability slowly moves forward

CHIME released its first Most Wired survey at its Fall CIO Forum, and found that the road to interoperability remains bumpy -- but there are signs of improvement. Continue Reading

Tech giants support FHIR standard. Will that make a difference?

Six tech giants have vowed to help healthcare interoperability efforts. It could be encouraging, or no help at all. Experts offer their predictions on the value. Continue Reading

Connected health devices feed patient-monitoring system

AlacrityCare is using two connected health devices developed by VivaLnk to build a system that monitors oncology patients opting to recover at home. Continue Reading

What you need to know about blockchain and healthcare today

Health IT needs require a sweeping and complex solution that may only be found in blockchain. Healthcare CTO Roger Smith offers his take on the promise of blockchain. Continue Reading

Florida community hospital uses AI tools to generate care paths

Flagler Hospital, a community healthcare organization in Florida, uses an AI platform to generate care paths for high-cost, high-mortality conditions such as pneumonia and sepsis. Continue Reading

Why app developers are embracing the Apple Health records API

A new crop of APIs based on the FHIR standard promises to change the expectations of mobile health apps. Six-year-old app maker Medisafe illustrates the promise and problems. Continue Reading

Expert questions funds for interoperability challenges in healthcare

Up to $2 million will be provided by the ONC to two recipients to address interoperability challenges in healthcare, but one expert questions if it will be enough. Continue Reading

Healthcare APIs get a new trial run for Medicare claims

Blue Button 2.0 is a new healthcare API aimed at making sense of Medicare claims. Developed by the U.S. Digital Service at HHS, the API is in 500 developer hands so far. Continue Reading

Blockchain-powered telemedicine application debuts in U.K.

A pilot program in the U.K. is testing MyClinic.com, a telemedicine application that allows patients to schedule video consultations with doctors and pay for services with cryptocurrency. Continue Reading

CMS creates chief health informatics officer position

The newly created chief health informatics officer position for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will focus on developing a health IT strategy for CMS. Continue Reading

AI lowers hurdles to digital transformation of healthcare

Depending on the organization, the digital transformation of healthcare comes in many stages and flavors. Consensus dictates that artificial intelligence is one of the major reasons for undertaking the painstaking process of transformation from paper-based to digitized forms of healthcare. AI's potential benefits are seen as enormous in helping meet the never-ending quest by hospitals and health systems to provide more efficient and cost-effective patient care.

The July issue of Pulse opens with our editor's letter and great expectations for improved patient engagement that can come with the digital transformation of healthcare. Along those lines, our cover story examines the roadblocks to digital transformation and AI implementation, including slowdowns in government funding, landing the right tech skills and ensuring accurate data -- as seen through the eyes of hospital IT professionals who share their experiences in overcoming these challenges. In another feature, we look at the rewards of going digital and implementing AI -- greater integration of electronic health records, better access to patient data, more accurate diagnostics and stronger population health management.

Also in this issue, infograph statistics show the critical role AI can play in preventing heart attacks and diagnosing early stages of cancer; healthcare APIs take center stage among government health regulators; and AI's great strengths don't necessarily immunize it from clinical fraud, hacks and medical errors.

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Healthcare APIs weave into common lingo of federal officials

It's hard to imagine that a federal health policy announcement would have ever included the term 'API', but it's on the minds of health regulators. Continue Reading

Healthcare digital transformation maps the new patient journey

The modern patient experience features flavors of consumerism combined with healthcare data. Giving patients greater access to that information is one area in which technology options thrive. Continue Reading

Digital transformation in healthcare boosts patient engagement

As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, patients expect a top-notch experience accessing their medical information as they bid farewell to paper records. Continue Reading

To fix healthcare IT, start with medical appointment reminders

All the talk about interoperability in healthcare misses the point, according to Rick Halton, vice president of Lumeon, a European automated care pathway platform provider that moved in to the US ... Continue Reading

Healthcare APIs weave into common lingo of federal officials

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Healthcare digital transformation maps the new patient journey

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Digital transformation in healthcare boosts patient engagement

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Can value-based care models cut costs? Yes, they can

While value-based care efforts can be hard to implement and aging technology services don't always support them, these efforts are gaining a foothold and saving money. Continue Reading

Understanding fundamentals of health information management

With the increase in available data, the practice of health information management is becoming more critical to acquiring, organizing and assessing medical information. Continue Reading

News briefs: Study outlines best practices for patient matching

Two organizations seek to improve patient identity management. A cybersecurity firm published a study on PHI sold on the dark web. And the FDA permitted the marketing of an AI algorithm for wrist-fracture detection. Continue Reading

Why healthcare APIs will save lives, money and time

APIs have a toe-hold in the healthcare space today but that has to change, and quickly. Stan Huff, M.D., explains why open source has to be healthcare's future. Continue Reading

Physician burnout targeted by health IT, wellness vendors

Industry consolidation, tech reporting mandates, heavy workloads and 'EHR fatigue' are causing high levels of stress and work dissatisfaction among healthcare professionals, experts say. Continue Reading

ATA CEO: Telemedicine technology can mitigate physician shortages

Telehealth can ease physician shortages and provide patients with access to mental health services, but work still remains to remove barriers, ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson says. Continue Reading

American Well expands acute care services with Avizia acquisition

At ATA18, American Well's chairman and CEO expressed the company's desire to 'democratize healthcare' with its acquisition of acute care telehealth company Avizia. Continue Reading

New patient care models showcased at HLTH 2018 conference

Top healthcare executives from all sectors of the industry convene to do business and dialogue about new approaches and technologies seen as disruptive to established care models. Continue Reading

ATA18 to explore the impact, potential of telemedicine

AI in healthcare will feature prominently at the 2018 ATA annual conference. The role of telemedicine in the fight against the opioid crisis will also be discussed. Continue Reading

As digital healthcare expands, tough questions arise

Indu Subaiya, M.D., talks about digital transformation, the intersection of healthcare and consumer tech and how directing short films has informed her work in health IT. Continue Reading

Apple Health app pilot combines engagement and interoperability

The Apple Health app pilot combines flavors of EHR interoperability and patient engagement, according to some hospitals involved in the early stages of the effort. Continue Reading

Healthcare ransomware attacks threaten patient safety

Worry about health IT cybersecurity has shifted from hacker-triggered health data breaches to ransomware and malware exploits that shut down hospitals and threaten patient safety. Continue Reading

Transition to value-based care slowed by lack of standardization

At HIMSS 2018, a CIO and CMO gave their perspectives on the current state of value-based care and the barriers that are impeding the transition. Continue Reading

Healthcare ransomware attacks threaten patient safety

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With health IT interoperability in mind, CMS announces changes

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and CMS administrator Seema Verma outlined big changes coming to promote interoperability and greater patient access to EHRs. Continue Reading

HIMSS 2018 exhibitors push cybersecurity products heavily

Over the past month, HIMSS 2018 exhibitors have proposed nearly 150 story ideas to me, so I decided to informally track the topics associated with these product pitches. Although it didn't surprise ... Continue Reading

HIMSS 2018 conference coverage and analysis

SearchHealthIT returns to Las Vegas for the HIMSS annual conference, which runs from March 5 to 9, 2018. Follow this guide for ongoing conference coverage. Continue Reading

Michigan uses prescription monitoring to fight opioid crisis

Michigan public health officials use e-prescribing and monitoring and analytics software from Appriss Health to fight opioid addiction by tracking overprescribing and abuse. Continue Reading

One Virtual System Worldwide: Intra-Epic interoperability

Epic Systems Corp. introduced new interoperability features, part of its Epic 2018 EHR update, that enable Epic-based healthcare systems to share more health data with each other. Continue Reading

Top healthcare stories of a health IT reporter's career

I've been reporting and writing for SearchHealthIT for about three years and the day has come for me to say goodbye. Looking back on these past three years, I can't help but laugh at, as well as be ... Continue Reading

CIO explains tech behind integrated healthcare systems and apps

BayHealth Development wanted integrated healthcare systems to provide a coherent experience for patients and physicians. The organization turned to the new Progress Health Cloud. Continue Reading

Interoperability may be in sight as Epic and Cerner work together

As two of the largest EHRs in the healthcare space, Epic and Cerner have often appeared to be at odds with each other. But that seems to be changing via an ONC initiative. Continue Reading

Four common challenges of telemedicine in healthcare

Internal video conferencing is gaining steam in healthcare organizations, but there are telemedicine challenges that prevent the technology from being accessible to patients. Continue Reading

SERMO more than a social network for doctors

SERMO, a social network exclusively for physicians, is a place for docs to hang out in cyberspace, but also to seek out and share medical opinions and diagnoses. Continue Reading

The top six priorities of a new healthcare CIO

Assessing performance strengths and identifying any gaps should be part of a healthcare CIO's plan of attack when joining a new organization. Continue Reading

Nurses have an important role to play during technology implementation

Nurses aren't always involved in technology implementation, but some say IT initiatives go smoothly when nurses take an active role. Continue Reading