Adoption of e-prescribing on blistering pace since ’07, but tougher road lies ahead
Use of electronic prescriptions in the United States has increased 440 percent since 2007, but the national effort to eliminate paper prescribing is far from over, according to the latest annual progress report from e-prescribing network giant Surescripts.The Alexandria, VA-based provider’s second annual “National Progress Report on E-Prescribing” notes that more than 100,000 people now use e-prescriptions. According to Surescripts Chief Executive Officer Harry Totonis, the total has grown from 19,000 in early 2007 to 103,000 at the start of 2009, largely due to attention by federal and state lawmakers, national programs that promote adoption of e-prescribing, and the adoption of e-prescribing by important groups, such as payers, subscribers and pharmacies. But growth will only continue if certain conditions take place, such as if the term “meaningful use” under the economic stimulus package includes mandatory e-prescribing, and if efforts are made to “close gaps” in e-prescribing participation among payers, state Medicaid programs and independent pharmacies, the report notes.    http://www.surescripts.net/downloads/... and http://www.surescripts.net/e-prescribing-statistics.html

Obama names Virginia tech secretary Chopra as U.S.’s first chief technology officer
Virginia Technology Secretary Aneesh P. Chopra, a career-long proponent of health IT, has been named as the nation’s first chief technology officer, President Barack Obama announced. Chopra, a former managing director of the Washington, D.C.-based healthcare industry research firm Advisory Board Company, has served as Virginia’s technology secretary since 2006. He was also actively involved in health IT adoption and electronic health records prior to becoming technology secretary. “[Chopra] will promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities – from creating jobs and reducing healthcare costs to keeping our nation secure,” Obama said. Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) praised the appointment, with Kaine noting that Chopra’s leadership on technology’s role in transforming the nation’s healthcare and educational systems “directly aligns with President Obama’s top priorities.” http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09... and http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content...

Mayo Clinic, Microsoft unveil free consumer personal health records site
The Mayo Clinic has launched a free Web site that allows users to create personal health records with Microsoft’s HealthVault technology. Users do not have to be Mayo Clinic patients to use the site, located at www.mayoclinic.com . According to Dr. Sidna Tulledge-Scheitel, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic Global Products and Services, the Mayo Clinic Health Manager allows users to store copies of their health records obtained from their providers, health plans, pharmacies, schools, government, or employers; upload information from home health devices such as blood glucose monitors and digital scales; and share information with caregivers. As users enter more personal health information, Mayo Clinic Health Manager (MCHM) delivers more specific and customized recommendations. Initially, MCHM will offer tools and features that help manage pediatric wellness, including immunizations; adult wellness, pregnancy and asthma. Additional features in upcoming months will help users manage Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/...

Hypercom extends high-security e-health card program to Germany
Payment technology specialist Hypercom Corp. is expanding its e-health initiative with the introduction of a high-security electronic health card system for physicians who make house calls throughout Germany. Scottsdale, AZ-based Hypercom is the only transactions systems provider with a complete line of products for German doctors, dentists, hospitals, pharmacies and other healthcare service professionals, according to Hypercom Vice President of Healthcare Ulf Honick. Germany’s e-health card program is one of the world’s largest e-health IT projects, with a planned deployment of more than 80 million electronic health insurance cards. “Germany is initiating a sweeping advanced technology e-health system that will speed and streamline the delivery of vital data and significantly reduce the cost of the healthcare system,” Honick said. The company also provides services to several other countries, including Australia, France and the United States, Honick added. http://www.hypercom.com/about/read.aspx?pr=822

Online data system could track, improve reporting of surgical complications
Researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University and the American Board of Surgery in Philadelphia have developed a Web-based reporting system that may help physicians track surgical complications and other adverse events in quality of care. According to a report published in the April issue of the American Medical Association’s Archives of Surgery, underreporting of adverse events and attributing the complication to a patient’s disease “represent a problem in reporting culture among surgeons.” Only 1 in 4 surgical complications and 4 in 10 inpatient deaths are actually reported, a total the report authors consider “disappointing.” An electronic physician-reported event tracking system would be part of a larger quality improvement effort and should be incorporated into all surgery departments, the authors note. http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/...

AMA to test-market online EHR, reference and e-prescribing services
In an effort to help physicians adopt information technology, the American Medical Association (AMA) is piloting a new online service that will provide access to electronic prescribing, Web-based reference materials and electronic health records (EHRs). Part of the service will be offered early next year through a deal with Compuware Covisint, according to AMA Chairperson Dr. Joseph M. Heyman. “Covisint technology is the gold standard of secure collaboration, and now AMA physicians will have unprecedented access to the latest and most useful information that can help improve patient care and enhance day-to-day practice management,” Heyman said. E-prescribing services will be provided by Rockville, MD-based DrFirst, which currently offers the services to more than 50 EHR, personal medical service and healthcare information system vendors nationwide. AMA has nearly 240,000 members, or about one-fourth of the nation’s physicians. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/... and http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/...

Imaging technology helps shed light on mysterious but deadly ‘silent’ heart attack
New imaging research from Duke University MedicalCenter suggests that “silent” heart attacks – those without pain or that fail to leave behind any telltale irregularities on electrocardiograms (ECGs) – are far more common than previously believed. Each year, nearly 200,000 people in the U.S. suffer silent heart attacks, or unrecognized myocardial infarctions (UMIs), without realizing it, according to Duke cardiologist and study lead author Han Kim, M.D. Such heart attacks are three times more likely to occur than the traditional, “Q-Wave” variety; those persons suffering the non-Q-Wave version are 11 times more likely to die from any cause and 17 times more likely to die from heart disease, compared to a person who does not have any heart damage. “Right now, there are no specific guidelines about how patients with UMIs should be treated,” Kim said. “If patients with UMIs happen to be identified, they are usually treated similarly to those patients where heart disease has already been documented.” http://www.dukehealth.org/HealthLibrary/...

Bangladesh tries to toughen up cyber-crime laws with long prison sentence, fine
Committing a cyber-crime in Bangladesh will get you a 10-year prison sentence, according to a new legal proposal by the nation’s prime minister and parliament. The proposed law is the country’s effort to combat a growing computer-based crime problem. A bill approved by the cabinet and scheduled to be introduced during parliament’s session in June will also impose a $145,000 [USD] fine on anyone convicted of breaking into computer networks, and placing false and libelous information or indecent materials online, according to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh’s information and communication technology industry has grown quickly in recent years, with more than 5 million computers now in use and 3 million people regularly online. http://www.futuregov.net/articles/...

Vermont considers use of smart cards to streamline medical billing
In a move that could make Vermont the first state in the nation to use “smart card” technology for medical billing purposes, lawmakers are considering whether to pass a Senate appropriations bill on the matter. With the smart card, medical facilities can scan patients’ medical cards, and quickly review patients’ eligibility and how much insurers will pay. The bill establishes a task force of lawmakers, healthcare providers, technology representatives and licensed health insurers to study the use of health IT to solve snarls on the administrative side of medical care, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin (D-Windham).    http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/...

Public has mixed feelings about impact of EHRs on healthcare system
Americans have a mixed opinion when it comes to the effectiveness of the healthcare system and what needs to be done to fix it, according to a poll by National Public Radio (NPR), the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. For example, 72 percent of U.S. residents believe their physicians will be better able to coordinate care if they use electronic health records (EHRs), and 67 percent feel the overall quality of healthcare nationwide will improve if EHRs are used. But 76 percent also believe that it’s at least “somewhat likely” that an unauthorized person will get access to patients’ records. More than half of respondents expect costs to increase with EHR adoptions. “The overwhelming majority of Americans don’t think an [EHR] will either save their family or the country money,” said Robert Blendon, operator of polling programs at the Harvard School of Public Health. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103322780

Connecticut seeks input from residents on content of new EMR system
As Connecticut prepares to develop an electronic medical records (EMR) system, state officials want to make sure they are not forgetting any important technical points. So the state is asking residents what types of things they want the EMR system to be able to do, as well as legal questions residents feel need to be addressed. Among the major issues: Who owns virtual records, how can the sale of medical information be prevented, how can the system be made “hack proof,” and how will computers on different operating systems be able to communicate through the system? “Consumers need to be paying attention,” said Ellen Andrews, executive director of the proposed Connecticut Health Policy Project (CTHPP). “A lot of numbers are involved, and we need consumers involved.” CTHPP is creating a resource page on its Web site at www.cthealthpolicy.org for interested parties to contribute and learn more about the system. http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/...

Vivid Solutions named Laureate in annual Computerworld Honours Programme 
Auckland, New Zealand-based health information technology company Vivid Solutions has been recognized as a Laureate in the 2009 Computerworld Honours Programme (CHP) for its efforts in developing a national telehealth network. CHP acknowledges individuals and organizations that have used IT to benefit society, with the work of those honored preserved and protected in national archives and at more than 350 universities, museums, and research institutions throughout the world, according to Vivid Solutions Managing Director Simon Hayden. Vivid is one of only two New Zealand firms to ever receive the distinction, which has been awarded annually since 1990. Vivid’s network connects 20 out of 21 district health boards across the country, enabling medical professionals to speak face-to-face with one another, share medical knowledge and discuss specific cases. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0904/S00357.htm