electronic health records

> Tennessee is reopening a TennCare program that gives healthcare coverage to indigent state residents with high medical bills. Report

> $11.5 million from the CDC is being granted to three organizations to enhance CDC's BioSense biosurveillance program and improve disease detection. Report

> With the help of technology …

Press Release: Less Than 25% of Medical Privacy Complaints Merit HHS Investigation

A study conducted by Medco Health Solutions, a prescription benefits manager, has found that adults over 65 are seven times more likely to be the victim of dangerous prescription drug interactions. It's not unusual for an elderly patient with chronic problems to visit several doctors and to be prescribed medications by each of them--roughly 25 percent of American seniors see five or more doctors. Unfortunately, doctors oftentimes aren't aware of the other physicians' activities. "Clearly, …

Consultant and connectivity guru Tim Gee examines the future of connectivity in the medical device sector in a piece on healthcare IT for Medical Device Link. With both wireless applications and medical devices hot suddenly everybody wants to get into the act and traditional device makers are finding the field competitive. The real action may lie in the market for integrating wireless medical devices with electronic health records, an area where Emergin and legacy specialist …

> Aetna shares bop as the company reports a 41 percent increase in fourth-quarter profits. Article

> In a column for Reason, Ronald Bailey argues that a case in which a hospital turned off the life support system of an uninsured patient against her will should have gained far more national attention than it did. …

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans for a citywide electronic health records system (EHR) that would serve hospitals and clinics in the Big Apple. The network would provide records access to about 100 hospitals and clinics affiliated with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. Around 5 million patients pass through the system each year. The citywide records network, Bloomberg said, "will reduce preventable illness [and]... will save millions of dollars a year …

For a preview of the kind of world which many health policy wonks in Washington want, just take a look in the direction of Silicon Valley. Yesterday, Intel, Cisco and Oracle announced an initiative that will encourage local physicians to adopt electronic health records and other health IT systems. The Silicon Valley Pay-for-Performance Consortium will award $150,000 annually to practices that excel in using technologies like electronic health records, ePrescribing and secure messaging to …

> In Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush's plan to move Medicaid recipients to managed care is set to start in Broward County. Article

> State governments are joining the call for electronic health records, arguing that the lessons of Hurricane Katrina make such systems necessary investments. Article

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> Shares of Molina Healthcare were up $5.39, or 25 percent, as the California-based Medicaid managed care company put out better than expected numbers. Article 

> California insurers sending patients south of the border for care. Article

> At the Cleveland Clinic, …

> The Bush administration says it will veto a budget bill if Congress goes through with cuts that would impact funding for managed care providers. Article

> A pilot program at Lakeland Regional Medical Center gives doctors wireless PDA access to patient records. Article

> Could blogs be the next big …