October 4th 2024
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a valuable tool in the U.S. healthcare industry. Experts say a thoughtful approach can head off ethical problems and optimize efficiency.
Technological solutions can clean provider data
August 1st 2006Every year, the poor quality of provider data costs healthcare payers an estimated $26 billion and sabotages their quest for efficient operations. Even the most highly automated plans remain vulnerable to the drain on resources caused by inaccurate provider data, rightly called "the Achilles' heel" of healthcare.
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Health Web sites strive to make surfers comfortable
August 1st 2006The healthcare industry as a whole seems to be revisiting, and placing greater emphasis on, Web-based tools and information, as evidenced by the abundance of recent online activity. Not only are the big healthcare market research companies dedicating their time and resources to providing some insight on what a useful health Web site looks like, but industry organizations such as URAC and a variety of health plans are paying more attention as well.
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Health plans apply scientific evidence to new technologies
July 1st 2006There are times when technology is well proven and clearly beneficial in the effort to improve health outcomes such as length of life, quality of life and functional ability. There are other times when it is not as clear whether technology helps to achieve this objective.
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Reforming Medicaid: Data needs to become accessible information
July 1st 2006Widespread adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems in the future is a noble objective, however it has distracted policy makers from enabling true Health Information Technology (HIT) reform now. While others continue to champion EMR systems as former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National HIT Coordinator David Brailer, MD, did, many in the health sphere confuse the advancement of EMRs with overall HIT reform. As industry pundits debate potential clinical benefits and cost reductions that EMR systems could deliver, there is too little discussion about how HIT can improve the single largest payer of medical claims-Medicaid.
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More on EHRs (June 2006): The future of CCHIT, EHR adoption
June 1st 2006With its first phase of certification rolling, the CertificationCommission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) willconcentrate on maintaining its momentum while moving to the realmof inpatient electronic health records (EHRs) in its secondcertification phase, followed by the evolving EHR networkinfrastructure in phase three.
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Plans play central role in expanding IT systems
June 1st 2006Washington, D.C.-As the nation moves forward with initiativesto build an electronic healthcare information system, MCOs willplay a central role, said former National Coordinator for HealthInformation Technology David J. Brailer, MD, at a press conferencefollowing his resignation in April.
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Setting guidelines for electronic health records is a complex task
June 1st 2006Building and applying the technology of the electronic healthrecord (EHR) is a decidedly non-magical process far more complexand less instantaneous than just making the paper disappear into awastebasket. Quality concerns about EHR systems must be addressed,which is why the Certification Commission for HealthcareInformation Technology (CCHIT) exists. A voluntary, private-sectorinitiative based in Chicago, CCHIT was established in 2004 tofoster the adoption of robust, interoperable health IT in theUnited States through product certification. In 2005, CCHITreceived a three-year contract from the Department of Health andHuman Services, making it the key entity to develop and evaluatecriteria for the testing and certification of EHR systems in theUnited States.
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E-mail can be a useful tool to improve patient outreach, access tocare
May 1st 2006Sure, e-mailing your doctor about that tickle in your throat or therecurring rash on your arm sounds like a great deal-noappointment needed and no copayment. But what if there is a pricetag, albeit small, to e-mail your doctor about non-urgent medicalproblems? Would you still choose this communication vehicle?
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Payers at forefront of adopting electronic patient health records
March 1st 2006As the U.S. healthcare industry continues its evolution from paper toward electronic medical record-keeping, a trend is emerging: The payers are leading the way, but the consumer ultimately will benefit from -- and actively participate in -- the shift toward industrywide computer-based medical-record databases.
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Sophisticated analytical tools help fuel successful disease management
February 1st 2006IN THE 1980s and early 1990s, case management for patients with complex illnesses began evolving into the more specialized discipline of disease management. By the late 1990s, disease management was in widespread use, viewed as an effective way to help control swelling healthcare budgets while improving medical outcomes.
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Mobile solutions offer providers flexibility in managing care
February 1st 2006Government, Employers, medical associations, payers, and many others are part of a nationwide momentum toward making electronic health records (EHRs) a reality. President Bush has cited the necessity to create EHRs, leading politicians of both parties have issued joint statements, and some states have accelerated activities. A number of initiatives by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), standards development organizations, and other groups are moving several issues ahead.
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Health plans offer IT grants to encourage more provider adoption
February 1st 2006There is little disagreement about the role that technology can play in the effort to improve healthcare and reduce costs, but attempts to implement technology solutions along the healthcare continuum have been uneven.
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Cultivating an extensive health content strategy begins with the ideal partner
January 1st 2006As health plans seek to enhance their consumer-directed healthcare offerings, a comprehensive health content strategy is an effective way to help members "get smart" about their health and wellness, and to promote the appropriate utilization of healthcare services. Through the delivery of targeted healthcare information and personalized decision support tools, health plans can foster better healthcare decisions, reach out to members with chronic conditions, and improve health outcomes.
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Technology less of a barrier to CDHC than business process
November 1st 2005It's a given in today's world that most consumers want greater control over their healthcare choices and more transparency in healthcare costs. Health plans, for the most part, are thrilled at the notion that consumers will make their own choices and—at least in theory—manage their health better.
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Online patient communication forums vary among healthcare organizations
October 1st 2005A Decade Ago, some healthcare companies were questioning the value of having a corporate Web site. Today, the same questions might surround the value of incorporating online patient Web journals, or "blogs." Are they an important communication tool, or a collection site for useless electronic messages?
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Electronic health records seen as more complex than first thought
September 1st 2005In his state of the union address in April 2004, President George W. Bush called for most Americans to have interoperable electronic health records (EHRs) within 10 years. More than a year after that ambitious pronouncement, business leaders, IT executives, healthcare professionals and average consumers are still debating exactly how that will happen.
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Imaging costs sneak up on plans, but can be managed
June 1st 2005Just when it looked like nothing could eclipse pharmaceutical costs, Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan found a new cost generator sneaking up, diagnostic imaging, which was increasing an average of 25% a year over the past few years. Much like disease management firms and pharmacy benefit managers, companies such as National Imaging Association (NIA), American Imaging Management (AIM) and MedSolutions have stepped in to help manage the cost of imaging services.
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Knowledge based care concept drives merged system turnaround
December 1st 2004Three years ago, officials at the Indiana University Hospital (IUH) came to the conclusion that in order to improve both quality of healthcare and the hospital's own fiscal health, they needed to change things drastically-and that they needed help doing it.
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