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THCBstaff (@THCBstaff)

Twitter Bio:: Everything you always wanted to know about the Health Care system. But were afraid to ask. Tweets are not medical advice.
Location:: San Francisco, California
Website:: http://www.thehealthcareblog.com

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Are Computers Getting Between You and Your Doctor?

|11 Influencers

The age of digitzed medicine is here. But for all its promises of simplifying doctors' visits, the technology also risks alienating the very people it's meant to help.

The HITECH Act, part of the 2009 federal stimulus bill, has been the final kick in the pants that U.S. health care has long needed to make the conversion to digital. The act states that, by employing electronic health records (EHRs) in a fashion known as meaningful use, doctors are individually

Social Media Helps Diabetes Patients (And Drugmakers) Connect : NPR

|9 Influencers

Cameron Harris, who has had Type 1 diabetes since he was 8 years old, explains the ins and outs of using glucagon for blood sugar lows. Harris hosts a video podcast series called "In Range" on YouTube.Cameron Harris, who has had Type 1 diabetes since he was 8 years old, explains the ins and outs of using glucagon for blood sugar lows. Harris hosts a video podcast series called "In Range" on YouTube.When Kerri Sparling was 7 years old, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Her family didn't know anyone with the disease, so they sent her to diabetes camp — "where every single camper had Type 1 diabetes," she says."That was my first sense of not

The EMR and the Case of the Disappearing Patient

|5 Influencers

The electronic medical record (EMR) is here to stay. Its adoption was initially slow, but over the past decade those hospitals that do not already have it are making plans for implementing it. On the whole this represents progress: the EMR has the ability to greatly improve patient care. Physicians, as well as all other caregivers, no longer have to puzzle over barely legible handwritten notes or flip through pages and pages of a patient’s paper chart to find important information.With the EMR, it is easy to see what medications a patient is taking, when they were started, and when they were stopped. Physicians can easily find key vital signs

How Doctors Think About New Technologies

|6 Influencers

These days, I look at a lot of websites describing some kind of product or solution related to the healthcare of older adults. Sometimes it’s because I have a clinical problem I’m trying to solve. (Can any of these sleep gadgets provide data — sleep latency, nighttime awakenings, total sleep time — on my elderly patient’s sleep complaints?)In other cases, it’s because a family caregiver asks me if they should purchase some gizmo or sensor system they heard about. (“Do you think this will help keep my mom safe at home?”)So far, it’s been a bit of a bear to try to check out products. Part of it is that there are often too many choices, and

EHR Adoption Alone Does Not Guarantee Quality Care

|3 Influencers

Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, healthcare providers are now offered incentives to use electronic health records (EHRs).

A recent analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that by 2011, 55 percent of physicians reported they had adopted EHRs, indicating that EHR adoption is finally on the rise. Moreover, three in four adopters said their system met the Act’s criteria for meaningful use.

Healthcare providers deserve recognition for adopting EHR systems. Their journey to date has not been easy, with challenges ranging from unexpected expenses to

CBO Says Medicare Spending Growth Slower Than Expected – Capsules

|2 Influencers

Amid its grim projections for the economy overall, the Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday said that Medicare spending growth is slowing, although the program will take up a larger share of the economy in a decade than it does now.

In an update to its January report on the nation’s budget and economic outlook, CBO said that outlays for Medicare will total 3.7 percent of the gross domestic product in 2013, rising to 4.3 percent of GDP in 2022, as enrollment in the program increases.

But the report also noted that for

Moment of Truth for Healthcare: Why the Customer Experience Matters, According ...

|2 Influencers

Pre-Market Indications Analyst Ratings Oil News EarningsWatch

NEW YORK, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- A good or bad customer experience can make or break a bank or hotel. Now it's a crucial "moment of truth" for healthcare organizations that have