> CIOs with a hand in clinical trials take note: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just released revised guidance for national coverage determinations that includes, as a condition of payment, the development and capture of additional patient data to supplement standard claims data and help ensure that patients receive appropriate care. Release
> Canada's doctors are lagging behind other countries when it comes to using IT in patient care, according to a recent study by a University of Victoria professor. A review of IT use by general practitioners in 10 British, European and Australasian countries more than 90 percent of GPs are using computers for at least some element of caring for patients. In Canada, it is more like 20 percent. Release
> When Berea Hospital merged with St. Joseph HealthCare in January, Catholic Health Initiatives, the parent company of St. Joseph Hospital and St. Joseph East in Lexington, KY, promised to invest $7 million for improvements at St. Joseph Berea. At the top of that list has been a project to upgrade its IT to improve communication between the three hospitals and physicians in both communities. Article
> The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) just sent thank you letters (.doc) to Reps. Joe Barton (R-TX) and John D. Dingell (D-MI) for their support in the passing of the Ferguson-Towns Amendment and the Towns-Rush-Wynn Amendment to the Health Information Technology Promotion Act, H.R. 4157, which helps bring health IT to under-served populations. Article
> Ho hum, another "most wired hospital" technology award for the hip but jaded techsters at Albany's Northeast Health. Technologies the nonprofit healthcare network uses include Computerized Physician Order Entry, a system that lets doctors input orders for medications, lab tests, etc., and manage other medical needs via computer; and the Picture Archive and Communication System, a high-resolution system that allows physicians to view magnetic resonance images. Article
And Finally… When it's your health information on the line, would you prefer that providers use paper or electronic records? A Harvard MD weighs in. Article