All Maine hospitals connect to query-based HIE; North Shore-LIJ to use remote video auditing in OR;

News From Around the Web

> All Maine hospitals are now connected to a query-based health information exchange, with 34 of 38 hospitals currently connected to the sytem. The state expects the remaining four hospitals to connect by the end of the year. After completion, Maine will be one of few states to have all of its hospitals connected by a query-based HIE. Announcement

>  North Shore-LIJ Health Sytem plans on using remote video auditing in ORs to assess hand-washing compliance at Forest Hills (NY) Hosptial. This is the first time a hospital has used video technology to track hand-washing among staff. Announcement

>  Data from electronic anesthesia info management systems can be used to assess surgical procedure blood requirements according to a study in Anethesiology. This hopes to improve outcomes, improve patient safety and maintain resources. Announcement

Provider News

> Hospital-acquired bloodstream infections--an avoidable medical condition--can rack up huge profits for hospitals, according to a new study. Johns Hopkins University researchers examined a small cohort of patients who acquired central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in the ICU and found that hospitals are paid nearly nine times what they would have received for providing care if the patient had not been infected. Article

> Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles overbilled Medicare by more than $2.24 million over a three-and-a-half period, according to a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General report. Article

EMR News

> Providers opting to use cloud-based electronic health record systems must scrutinize their vendors more now that the HIPAA omnibus rule makes clear that such vendors can be punished as business associates, according to James Koenig, privacy practice co-leader for PwC, who spoke at the sixth annual NIST/OCR HIPAA Security Rule Conference May 21 in Washington, D.C. Article

And Finally… Some people really take breakfast seriously. Article