Technology is a way of life for today’s medical students with the majority choosing clinical references on their iPhone device over teachers and peers to answer questions. The fifth annual Future Physicians of America survey conducted by Epocrates, Inc. revealed that medical students not only believe in the value of electronic health records (EHRs), but expect availability when they practice medicine.
More than 700 medical students, a third of whom dreamed of becoming a doctor since childhood, shared their opinions about a range of topics impacting the medical …

By Houston Neal
One of the major components of the the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was the allocation of $19 billion to jump start the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). One of the major uses of those funds was the establishment of Regional Extension Centers (RECs) to support EHR adoption by primary care physicians.
The entity spearheading this effort, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), is specifically charged with helping 100,000 priority primary care providers become “meaningful users” of EHRs in 24 months. Eight …

By Mark Wallin
For many years we have been hearing an increasing amount of information regarding Electronic Health Records (EHR) and related technologies with acronyms such as EMR, PHR, HIE to name a few. More recently, we have been hearing an emphasis on incentives and programs that may be available to physicians that adopt or utilize technology and provide quality reporting, including the federally funded Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program, PQRI (Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative) as well as some privately funded programs from some health plans. Today, there is significant attention …

By Ken Frantz and Mark Newman

Physicians and other healthcare providers are more concerned than ever about how they will implement electronic health record (EHR) systems in their practices by 2011 to qualify for the first phase of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and ultimately be eligible for the maximum reimbursement. The systems can be complex, the reporting requirements and processes for demonstrating meaningful use are not yet clear, and the resources to help are still emerging.
With the recent release of the Final Rule for “meaningful use” requirements for …

By Alan Lyndon
Physicians News
Telemedicine as a technology is advancing so rapidly that it seems like something you might have seen on Star Trek.
Telemedicine as policy has become an integral part of the law as $27 billion was earmarked for health care information technology as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus plan.
But telemedicine as a successful practice or an everyday tool for physicians and patients has remained a mystery.  Until now.
Physicians will ask: How do I squeeze telemedicine in between my daily 35 – 40 patient …

It’s official.  Physicians love the iPhone.  In fact, most smartphone-using-docs use the iPhone as their main mobile communication device.  So says a study published by The Spyglass Consulting Group, a healthcare and technology market research firm.
The study focused on how physicians across the United States are rapidly adopting mobile communications at point of care to improve communications and collaboration, streamline productivity, and enhance patient care and safety.  The purpose of the study was to identify the needs and requirements for mobile communications at point of care through discussions about: Existing workflow inefficiencies in communicating with …

CSC today announced the CSC Meaningful Use Community, the first open and interactive online community for healthcare providers seeking to achieve meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR). The community will provide an open forum for healthcare professionals to learn, connect and share guidance with others who have successfully implemented meaningful use of EHRs. Members also have access to CSC experts and other industry leaders for advice and information about the federal government’s criteria and insights on how to implement meaningful use of EHRs in a timely manner.
Click here to see …

The government released new rules on Tuesday that further define “meaningful use” of electronic medical records for physicians and hospitals.  Earlier this year, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) authorized incentive payments to physicians for the use of EHRs including $44,000 through Medicare and $63,750 through Medicaid.  But achieving meaningful use was confusing to stakeholders.  Until now.
The original proposal was criticized as too restrictive as physicians were required to meet every one of 25 objectives in order to receive their incentive payment.  Under …

Medical publisher Elsevier and video game developer Legacy Interactive have just announced the release of Top Doc, an iPhone app that features medical content and quizzes designed to let medical students, residents and junior faculty practice and improve their visual diagnosis skills.
“Top Doc was built upon a foundation of providing challenging, real-world questions illustrated by high quality medical images,” said Amber Tully, M.D., Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and the product’s co-author. “With this platform, users are able to experience and react to …

The era of crowded medical waiting rooms came to an end.  As people have come to expect checking the status of their flight prior to leaving for the airport, they can now do the same prior to leaving home for their doctor appointment.
Last month, ten physician practices launched a new service called MedWaitTime (www.MedWaitTime.com). Patients are now able to see via their computers, iPhones, or cell phones the current waiting room status of their doctors. The system, for instance, tells patients if their doctor is running late, and more importantly, …