Featured Report: The Question Your Doctor Should Be Asking You — but Isn’t

Fierce Health IT

Survey: Consumer health tech adoption remains low

Dec,22,2014

by: Katie Dvorak

Use of technology to manage healthcare still remains low for consumers, but many of them view devices and apps in a positive light, according to a new survey from consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton and research practice Ipsos Public Affairs. For instance, while seven in 10 respondents said they owned a smartphone or tablet, only two in 10 indicated that they used the devices to monitor or manage their health. The older the consumer and the greater their income, the more likely they are to use technology to keep track of their health, according to the report. One of the reasons for low adoption of tech to manage care is security and privacy concerns, according to the report. Because of that, providers must offer secure tools to entice their patients to use them, the authors said.  Read More

Modern Healthcare

What's in your wallet? 'Big data' wants to tell doctors and health plans

Dec,20,2014

by:  Carol Levine

Does privacy still matter? According to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, privacy is no longer a “social norm.” But a recent report from the Pew Research Center found that Americans are indeed concerned about their privacy. More than half (55%) of survey respondents said that the “state of your health and the medications you take” was “very sensitive” information, second only to Social Security numbers. Fewer people considered information about their relationship history (40%), religious or spiritual views (22%), or political views (20%) as very sensitive. At the bottom of the list, only 8% considered “basic purchasing habits” very sensitive. Read More

Time 

The Question Your Doctor Should Be Asking You — but Isn’t

Dec,29,2014

by: Mandy Oaklander

The last time you went to the doctor, were you asked how much soda you drink? Probably not, but at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, it’s now among the standard questions doctors will ask—and then log into the patient’s electronic health record. Those records, analyzed in a new study, reveal some interesting connections between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and a slew of health problems. Read More

Politico Pro

High noon for federal health records program?

Dec,28,2014

by: ARTHUR ALLEN

Vast spending, frustrating software, angry doctors facing a punch in the wallet — and a hungry new Congress. It could add up to a powerful threat to the Obama administration’s $30 billion program to digitize the nation’s medical records.

Many doctors hate the clunky, time-sucking software they got through the massive subsidy program, and most complain that cumbersome information exchange is frustrating their efforts to coordinate and improve patient care. A quarter-million — half of those eligible for the electronic health records program — will face fines in 2015 for failing to use the systems in the way the government required. State Medicaid officials don’t know how many of their doctors are using electronic records, although they have handed out $9 billion of those federal funds to encourage their adoption. Nor do they have much sense of how much the technology is helping low-income patients. Read More

Heathcare POP Mobile Application Development

Healthcare Providers,
As you know Healthcare IT is changing every day especially in the new m-health field. Where mobile devices like iPhones, Smartphones and tablets becoming how doctors react to their patients and staff. But with this changes comes new laws about how mobility should be used to work with patient data in a secure way. This is where our mobile app called "Healthcare POP" can help Healthcare POP brings all of your healthcare info into one web-based app that can that can work on every mobile, tablet and desktop. For more information on Healthcare POP visit our demo website at http://www.wireheadtec.com/MobileApp.html Then call us if you have any questions.

Featured Report: Who owns health data? Supreme Court may try answering that question

Modern Healthcare

Who owns health data? Supreme Court may try answering that question
Dec,18,2014
by:  Lisa Schencker
The U.S. Supreme Court is considering hearing a case that could have implications for self-funded insurers nationwide and as many as 16 states that have passed laws creating healthcare data collection programs.  The case, Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., asks the question of whether self-funded insurers should have to hand over certain information to state databases upon request or whether those insurers don't have to under federal law. 
The state of Vermont argues that it needs such data—on claims, member eligibility and other issues—to help it improve the cost and effectiveness of healthcare. The insurance company, however, counters that the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, exempts it and its third-party administrator from having to submit the information to state databases. Read More

Med City News

A mobile health startup uses doctor moms for medical query business
Dec,18,2014
by: Stephanie Baum

A mobile health startup using doctors who are mostly stay-at-home moms to respond to medical queries by text message has raised $6 million in a Series A, according to a company statement. In a phone interview with MedCity News, First Opinion co-founder and CEO McKay Thomas said the platform was designed to eliminate the needless visits to a physician, which it reckoned accounts for seven out of 10 office visits The investment round was led by first time investor Polaris Partners, with additional contributions being made by existing investors, including True Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Scrum Ventures and Monashees Capital. Thomas said the funding would be used mainly for developing strategies and partnerships. Thomas emphasized that it wasn’t interested in collaborating with insurers. Read More

Fierce Health Payer

Payers take steps forward with mobile apps in 2014
Dec,18,2014
by: Dori Zweig

In a busy year for the healthcare industry, payers tried to move beyond the technical glitches and court rulings associated with the Affordable Care Act and focus instead on the ACA's aim to make healthcare more accessible and personal.

To play into this idea of the consumerization of healthcare, payers have been busy exploring mobile applications that keep their members healthy and temper rising healthcare costs.

Of course, this has been no walk in the park--consumers have been slow to adopt insurers' mobile apps, while healthcare still hasn't been able to effectively harness data in a way to make it useful. Read More

Fierce Health IT

Study: Nearly half of patients would withhold data from providers
Dec,18,2014
by: Susan D. Hall
Nearly half of patients participating in a trial looking at patient control of the medical records withheld clinically sensitive information from some or all of their care team.

The Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine and Eskenazi Health (formerly Wishard Health Services) conducted the six-month trial involving 105 patients at a primary care clinic. Patients were allowed to designate who could see their records, including information on sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse or mental health.

Patients were able to hide some or all of their data from some or all providers--and 49 percent of them did. However, healthcare providers were able to view the hidden data, if they felt the patient's healthcare required it, by hitting a "break the glass" button on their computer screens, according to an announcement. Read More

Wirehead Technology's Healthcare POP

Healthcare Providers,
As you know Healthcare IT is changing every day especially in the new m-health field. Where mobile devices like iPhones, Smartphones and tablets becoming how doctors react to their patients and staff. But with this changes comes new laws about how mobility should be used to work with patient data in a secure way. This is where our mobile app called "Healthcare POP" can help Healthcare POP brings all of your healthcare info into one web-based app that can that can work on every mobile, tablet and desktop. For more information on Healthcare POP visit our demo website at http://www.wireheadtec.com/MobileApp.html Then call us and we will help you make your practice POP!. 

Featured Report: EHRs to save $78B over 5 years

Healthcare IT News

EHRs to save $78B over 5 years

Nov,11,2014

by: Bernie Monegain,

EHRs are expected to save the global healthcare industry as much as $78 billion over five years, according to new analysis from Juniper Research.The Juniper report Digital Health, Remote Monitoring EHR Cost Savings 2014-2019, notes that EHRs are crucial as the supporting infrastructure for a wide range of digital healthcare and mHealth projects. Also, new accountable care organizationinitiatives, where healthcare providers are paid according to the measured wellness of a patient population, are resulting in a re-think in how healthcare needs should be addressed. The report finds that the medical profession will increasingly rely on EHRs to support disparate elements of digital health. Read More

Health Data Management

Older Americans May Miss Out on Web Health Highway

Nov,13,2014

by: Greg Goth

When it comes to the benefits of electronic health records, older Americans may be left behind, according to a new University of Michigan study. Less than a third of Americans age 65 and over use the web for health information and barely 10 percent of those with low health literacy--or ability to navigate the healthcare system--go online for health-related matters, according to the nationally representative study that appears in the Journal of General Internal Medicine  Read More

M2M Now Events

The paradox of digital health, part 1: Money
Nov,13,2014
by: Christopher Wasden

Despite the overwhelming evidence of the benefits of digital health over the traditional analog services, we have seen significant barriers to adoption that have resulted in what I refer to as the Ten Paradoxes of Digital Health. This article will address the Money Paradox. The Money Paradox in Digital Health is that healthcare stakeholders seem to be unwilling to transform their business models to deliver the digital triple aim of greater access, with better quality at lower cost unless they are paid more than at present to do it. How can we save money if we have to pay providers more to adopt money saving technologies?  Read More

MobiHealthNews

Survey: Hospital execs bullish on telemedicine, but slow to adopt

Nov,13,2014

by: Jonah Comstock

A survey by the law firm Foley & Lardner LLP of 57 executives at provider organizations found a healthy interest in telemedicine, but that concrete adoption is still in the early stages, and possibly more than a decade away. Only 3 percent of respondents considered telemedicine unimportant to their organizations. Fifty-two percent found it very important and 32 percent said it was important to their organizations.  Read More

Healthcare IT Managed Services

Healthcare Providers are you having trouble keeping up with the new government rules and regulations in Healthcare and don't know where to turn to get help? Then let us help you Wirehead Technology's Healthcare Managed IT Services will work with you to help you not only understand the rules but put together all the IT services that will help you comply with all the new Healthcare rules and stay with you to make sure your Healthcare practice is always up to date on all of the rules. To see how we can help your practice visit our Healthcare IT page at  http://www.wireheadtec.com/Healthcare.html

Featured Report: Does social media boost healthcare careers?

Health Data Management

Gallup Suggests Health App Adoption Strategies

Nov,05,2014

Greg Goth

Recent research from Gallup not only indicates the popularity of mobile device-based health apps is accelerating, but also dissects which types of apps are linked to specific types of well-being."Some types of apps are more closely related to high well-being outcomes than others,” say Gallup researchers Dan Witters and Sanjeeta Agrawal. "While use of running map apps and apps for healthy restaurant menu options are mutually highly linked to both social and physical well-being, other apps are more uniquely aligned. Apps for water intake and healthy recipes are strongly linked to social well-being benefits, while running maps and personal training apps are strongly associated with physical well-being."  Read More

Fierce Healthcare

Does social media boost healthcare careers?

Nov,03,2014

by: Zack Budryk

Many nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) believe social media use has helped their careers, according to a new survey by The Clinical Advisor.

Just under half of respondents (45 percent) said they used social media in a career context, while more than two-thirds (68 percent) reported using it for personal matters. Of those who used it for business, 28 percent told the publication they feel it helps NPs' and PAs' careers, with no respondents thinking it harmed their careers, while 12 percent said it didn't actively help and 13 percent didn't know. Breaking responses down by specific social networks, LinkedIn was the most commonly used for strictly business purposes (48 percent). It was followed by Google Plus, which 36 percent of respondents used specifically for business purposes, and Facebook, with 26 percent.  Read More

iHealthBeat

Conference Highlights Progress on Different Fronts in Connected Health Technology

Nov,03,2014

by: Andy Oram

Technology is not the focus of the Connected Health Symposium, but technical advances play a major role there because of the potential for digital technology to help health care meet its broad goals of listening to patients and coordinating care among these patients, their family members and the professional team.In some ways, the technology is far more advanced than the health care providers who could benefit from it, and it is up to those health care institutions to evolve organizationally and culturally. But on the other hand, much technology looks good only on the surface and quickly comes to shame when connected to real-life workflows and patient needs.   Read More

MobiHealthNews

Health insurance upstart Oscar competes on telehealth, user experience

Nov,05,2014

by: Jonah Comstock

In May, Oscar, the New York-based individual-only insurance plan raised $80 million at close to a $1 billion valuation. That brought the company’s total funding to $150 million. It’s an impressive feat for a small startup attempting to compete in health insurance, which is so thoroughly dominated by huge legacy players. At IBF’s Digital Healthcare Innovation Summit in Boston, Oscar co-founder Kevin Nazemi spoke with Bessemer Venture Partner’s Steve Kraus about how a focus on user experience — and a fortuitous market opportunity in the Affordable Care Act — helped catapult Oscar into the national spotlight. He also announced for the first time that the company will be expanding from just New York into New Jersey.  Read More

The Microsoft Healthband is Here!!!

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Featured Report: Medical Practice Compliance Program in 4 Steps

iHealthBeat

Google’s Newest Search: Cancer Cells

Oct,29,2014

by: iHealthbeat Staff

On Tuesday, a Google executive said the company is working on a wearable device designed to help doctors detect cancer and other diseases earlier, theWall Street Journal reports.

Details of Device

According to the Journal, Google is developing small magnetic particles, called nanoparticles, that would find and attach themselves to cells, proteins or other molecules inside an individual's body.The particles could be delivered into the system via an oral pill. The wearable device then would monitor the nanoparticles by using a magnet to attract and count them. Read More

Health Data Management 

Physician-Patient Email Communication on Rise

Oct,23,2014

Greg Goth

A new study from Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) offers some early insights into the effects of increasing numbers of emailed communications on doctors, suggesting that reimbursement models and physician workflow may need to adjust to accommodate message management.The were published online in Health Affairs.
“BIDMC was one of the first hospitals in the country to create a patient web portal providing a secure platform for patients to view parts of their medical record and send emails to their clinicians,” said lead author Bradley Crotty, M.D. “The portal became available in 2000, so we were able to take a 10-year look at the data and examine the email traffic resulting from this new use of technology.” Read More

Physicians Practice

Medical Practice Compliance Program in 4 Steps

Oct,29,2014
by: Alicia Shickle, CPC, CPCO, CPPM

Identifying and correcting potential vulnerabilities in your practice through a compliance program optimizes claims payment, minimizes billing mistakes, reduces the chance of an audit, averts protected health information (PHI) breaches, and avoids conflicts with Stark and other anti-kickback statutes. If you haven’t already initiated a compliance program in your practice, here’s how to get started  Read More

Health Data Management

Surviving a HIPAA  Privacy/Security Audit

Oct,30,2014

by: Staff

The HHS Office for Civil Rights expects in 2015 to begin a random audit program to assess compliance with the HIPAA privacy, security and breach notification rules. At the MGMA Conference, David Holtzman, a former senior advisor at OCR and now vice president of compliance services at security firm CynergisTek, walked through what providers selected for an audit can expect  Read More

Healthcare IT Managed Services

Healthcare Providers are you having trouble keeping up with the new government rules and regulations in Healthcare and don't know where to turn to get help? Then let us help you Wirehead Technology's Healthcare Managed IT Services will work with you to help you not only understand the rules but put together all the IT services that will help you comply with all the new Healthcare rules and stay with you to make sure your Healthcare practice is always up to date on all of the rules. To see how we can help your practice visit our Healthcare IT page at  http://www.wireheadtec.com/Healthcare.html

Featured Report: Mobile EHR Users More Satisfied Than Desktop, Laptop Users

HealthDataManagement

Mobile EHR Users More Satisfied Than Desktop, Laptop Users

Oct,23,2014

by: Greg Slabodkin

A new survey of nearly 600 physicians reveals that those accessing electronic health records from mobile devices report higher levels of satisfaction and fewer challenges with their EHRs than non-mobile users. The annual survey, which EHR research firm  Software Advice commissioned polling firm Research Now to conduct, indicates that 58 percent of mobile users are "very satisfied" with their EHR versus only 28 percent of non-mobile users. In addition, mobile users are less affected by common EHR software challenges than non-mobile users. Just 39 percent of mobile users report that learning how to use their EHR system was challenging compared to 58 percent of non-mobile users.Read More

Modern Healthcare 

Castlight Health tool saves money for patients, JAMA study shows

Oct,22,2014

by: Darius Tahir 

Using Castlight Health's price discovery tool results in strong savings for customers shopping for the best deal in imaging—but not in clinician office visits or lab results, a study released in JAMA shows. The results provide an “early glimpse of the potential ability of greater price transparency to influence the choices patients make,” Princeton professor Uwe Reinhardt wrote in an accompanying editorial. The study, co-authored by two Castlight data analysts and Neeraj Sood, the director of research at USC's Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics who also is a paid adviser to Castlight, examined 253,757 households insured by 18 large employers between 2010 and 2013 and using Castlight Health's price transparency platform.  Read More

iHealthbeat

Government Indifference Must Not Stand in the Way of Mobile Health Innovation

Oct,22,2014
by: Morgan Reed

Outdated elements of health care regulation pose a serious threat to innovation. Without substantial changes, new technologies that can improve the lives of patients and the capabilities of their caregivers will remain out of reach to most consumers. Scores of mobile health companies have shared stories about federal regulatory requirements that fail to keep pace with advancing technology. These companies are providing critical services to patients and providers in both consumer and enterprise settings. They have become frustrated with factions within HHS that stand in the way of mobile health innovation. Read More

Healthcare IT News

Wearable tech must get smart with data

Oct,21,2014

by: Mike Miliard

For wearable technology to live up to the hype, especially when it comes to healthcare, it will have to be "interoperable, integrated, engaging, social and outcomes-driven," according to PwC. One in five American adults already own a wearable device, according to PwC's new series, "The Wearable Future," a rapid adoption rate that's only expected to increase. But in a related report from PwC's Health Research Institute, "Health wearables: Early days," data suggests many of the fitness bands and step-tracking smartwatches flooding the market have "under-delivered on expectations." To wit: 33 percent of consumers who purchased a wearable technology device more than a year ago now say they no longer use it, or do so infrequently. Read More

Mobile Healthcare POP

Healthcare Providers,

As you know Healthcare IT is changing every day especially in the new m-health field. Where mobile devices like iPhones, Smartphones and tablets becoming how doctors react to their patients and staff. But with this changes comes new laws about how mobility should be used to work with patient data in a secure way. This is where our mobile app called "Healthcare POP" can help Healthcare POP brings all of your healthcare info into one web-based app that can that can work on every mobile, tablet and desktop. For more information on Healthcare POP visit our demo website at http://www.wireheadtec.com/MobileApp.html Then call us if you have any questions to schedule and appointment with one of our Healthcare IT reps and we can show you our healthcare apps can help your practice

Featured Report: Connected healthcare device sales to surpass $3B by 2019

HealthDataManagement

HIEs Continue to Face Barriers to Interoperability

Oct,09,2014

by: Greg Slabodkin 

While health information exchange organizations are growing in maturity, they continue to face cost and technical challenges that remain key barriers to interoperability, according to the eHealth Initiative’s 2014 health data exchange survey. The annual survey, which the eHealth Initiative has been conducting for the past 11 years, tracks the growth and progress of electronic health data exchange efforts across the United States. Of 267 identified HIEs, 125 respondents fully completed the survey—74 community-based HIOs, 25 statewide efforts, 26 healthcare delivery organizations—and an additional 10 gave partial responses.  Read More

Modern Healthcare

CMS posts long-awaited Pioneer ACO quality and financial results

Oct,08,2014

by: Melanie Evans 

The CMS published for the first time the quality and financial performance for individual Pioneer accountable care organizations, a small, select group enlisted for Medicare's most ambitious test of the payment model. First year financial results show health spending slowed as much as 7% (PDF)among some ACOs and accelerated as much as 5% for others. In the second year, health spending slowed as much as 5.4% among those that reduced patients' medical bills and accelerated as much as 5.6% where costs escalated.  Read More

MobiHealthNews

Study: Connected healthcare device sales to surpass $3B by 2019

Oct,09,2014

by: Aditi Pai

 Connected healthcare device sales will exceed $3 billion globally by 2019, according to a report from analysis firm Juniper Research. Juniper explains that the connected healthcare devices it looked at include blood pressure cuffs, oximeters for diabetes, and sleep monitors for sleep apnea.  According to the research firm, this growth can be partially attributed to the result of Apple and Samsung’s newly launched health platforms, HealthKit and SAMI. Samsung unveiled its Samsung Architecture Multimodal Interactions, or SAMI, in May. It described the platform as a “data broker” that future third party health tracking devices could upload data to. This data could then be used by app developers to create new apps. Read More

Modern Healthcare

Health officials tell medical technology group to 'prove it'

Oct,08,2014

by: Sabriya Rice

“Prove it.” That was the resounding message to medical-device manufacturers during the annual Advanced Medical Technology Association conference in Chicago this week. Innovation is needed to advance medicine and better patients' quality of life, but gone are the days of sticking higher price tags on products that only provide incremental improvements, the leaders of health insurance companies, health systems, quality improvement and consumer organizations told the industry. Read More 

Healthcare IT Managed Services

Healthcare Providers are you having trouble keeping up with the new government rules and regulations in Healthcare and don't know where to turn to get help? Then let us help you Wirehead Technology's Healthcare Managed IT Services will work with you to help you not only understand the rules but put together all the IT services that will help you comply with all the new Healthcare rules and stay with you to make sure your Healthcare practice is always up to date on all of the rules. To see how we can help your practice visit our Healthcare IT page at 

http://www.wireheadtec.com/Healthcare.html