Robert Pear reports: President-elect Barack Obama’s plan to link up doctors and hospitals with new information technology, as part of an ambitious job-creation program, is imperiled by a bitter, seemingly intractable dispute over how to protect the privacy of electronic medical records. Lawmakers, caught in a crossfire of lobbying by the health care industry and…
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Vast Majority Of Americans Still Forego Personal Health Records Despite High Interest – Study
Consumer demand for accessing personal health records (PHR) online is now at more than 70 million Americans, according to Cybercitizen Healthâ„¢ v8.0, the latest consumer study and strategic advisory service from pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research. Despite significant interest in this type of service, only 7 million U.S. adults actually use…
Electronic health record glitch put VA patients at risk
Peter Buxbaum reports in Federal Computer Week: Glitches in Veterans Affairs Department electronic medical records software led to problems in the treatment of nine patients in three facilities in October and November 2008, drawing the ire of a key congressional overseer. The software problems came about after VA distributed version 27 of its Computerized Patient…
Health Information Technology: Federal Agencies' Experiences Demonstrate Challenges to Successful Implementation
The GAO has released Health Information Technology: Federal Agencies’ Experiences Demonstrate Challenges to Successful Implementation, GAO-09-312T, January 15, 2009. Summary In Process Health IT has the potential to help improve the efficiency and quality of health care, but achieving the transition to a nationwide health IT capability is an inherently complex endeavor. A successful…
Privacy groups urge politicians to ensure safeguards for health IT
Andrew Noyes reports on Nextgov: Privacy and civil liberties advocates are urging lawmakers working on the forthcoming economic stimulus package to ensure that any language to spur adoption of electronic medical records includes meaningful security safeguards. The American Civil Liberties Union, Consumer Action, the National Association of Social Workers, Patient Privacy Rights and others sent…
Jobs’ medical leave: right to privacy vs right to know
Sam Diaz writes on ZDnet: Steve Jobs dropped a bombshell of an announcement yesterday when he revealed that his medical condition was more complex than he’d previously known and that he was leaving his post as Apple CEO through the end of June so he could focus on his health. The announcement, in the form…