health information technology

Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is criticizing a government estimate that suggests that improving information technology services at hospitals and doctors' offices would lead to an increase in costs and a decrease in revenues. A number of prominent backers of the health information technology bill urged a delay of the vote on the legislation after the CBO released the estimate. Gingrich tells Modern Healthcare: "The CBO blatantly ignores the economic growth efficiencies …

One of our favorite healthcare economists, Jane Sarahson-Kahn, examines the odds that information technology could help make consumer-driven health care plans (CDHPs) more attractive to customers. The latest generation of health information tools holds the potential to improve low satisfaction ratings for consumer driven plans, Sarahson-Kahn writes. Intuit is expected to launch a series of medical expense management tools in 2007. The company is working with UnitedHealth Group and a number of other players to develop the software. Article 

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski appointed Jody Pettit, MD, to serve as Oregon's Health Information Technology Coordinator and said the state will ask for $26.4 million from Congress to fund electronic medical records programs. Oregon will work with the National Governor's Association to collaborate with other states involved in the national effort to study the benefits and risks of EMR systems. Article

NHS official Professor Aidan Halligan, director of clinical governance, resigned this week and criticized the government's reform efforts. This comes just two months after the departure of Sir Nigel Crisp, the NHS' chief executive. The key issue is that money has been thrown at the problem without reforming workflow process. Halligan stated, "any suggestion of real reform has been a deceit. Working patterns, practice and custom are at the heart of many capacity issues [in the NHS] and …

On Wednesday, New York Governor George Pataki announced a series of grants designed to encourage healthcare providers to move to electronic medical records. The New York Health Information Technology initiative sets aside $52.9 million for local projects. The Rochester Regional Health Information Organization stands to get about $4.5 million.

- read this article from the Democrat and Chronicle

The House is expected to take up legislation that would encourage the adoption of information technology in healthcare and establish national standards on privacy and the implementation of new systems. HR 4157 was sponsored by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Rep. Nathan Deal (D-GA). Critics note that the new privacy standard would take precedence over existing state law in many cases. CQ HealthBeat reports that the legislation would increase the number …

Should information technology have been able to prevent the problems at Kaiser Permanente's kidney transplant center? In theory, the answer is an obvious "yes." The transfer of thousands of patients from one program to another looks like a straightforward opportunity for electronic medical records (EMRs), an area where Kaiser is a leader. So what happened? The San Francisco Business Times looks at the scandal, examining the role of IT and also that of the Permanente Medical …

About 1,000 doctors in New York City will get access to electronic medical records as part of a drive by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to improve the quality of healthcare in the Big Apple. New York will spend $27 million on the project. Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said in a statement: "With literally thousands of patient care guidelines and tens of thousands of drug interactions, information technology is a necessity for patients and physicians. And EHRs have the potential to create …

Does Dr. David Brailer's resignation late last week signify problems ahead for government health IT? Did the health IT czar quit because he was growing tired of the grind of his weekly commute from San Francisco to Washington or out of frustration with the program's direction? Expect the theories to fly fast and furiously this week in the aftermath of the decision. Brailer told the San Francisco Chronicle that he hopes to continue working in health information technology in the …

Dr. David Brailer, who was the national coordinator for health information technology for the past two years, told the Financial Times that he is resigning for "family reasons" and because the national health IT program "is now mature and moving in the right direction." The timing of the announcement, which comes on the same week as the resignation of White House press secretary Scott McClellan and the "demotion" of policy advisor Karl Rove, has led to speculation that the move …