EMR/EHR

Electronic medical records (EMR) are a digital version of a patient’s chart that store their personal information, medical history and links to prior exams, texts and reports. The goal of these systems is to enable immediate access to the patient's data electronically, rather than needing to request paper file folders that might be stored in fragment files at numerous locations where a patient is seen or treated. EMRs (also called electronic health records, or EHR) improve clinician and health system efficiency by making all this data immediately available. This helps reduce repeat tests, repeat prescriptions and repeat imaging exams because reports, imaging or other patient data is not not immediately available. 

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AHRQ awards $1.6M for study on communication technology in care

The University of Michigan received a $1.6 million federal grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to investigate how communication technologies such as EHRs, email and pagers are being used and where common failures occur, according to Ann Arbor News.

Tripathi on JASON; keeping policy on pace with technology

A lighter touch with respect to Meaningful Use Stage 3 requirements will help improve interoperability, according to a draft report by the JASON task force, which is tasked with crafting a final report based on the advisory committee’s recommendations.

2014 cert final rule strives for flexibility, interoperability

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s 2014 Edition Release 2 Final Rule provides more choices for health IT developers and their customers, including new interoperable ways to exchange health data, said Michael Lipinski, JD, Office of Policy at the ONC, during an Oct. 2 webinar.

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EHR error tied to Ebola patient discharge

A tech error is why Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital accidentally discharged a patient diagnosed with Ebola, reports CBS News.

About 44,000 apply for MU hardship exception

About 44,000 healthcare providers submitted hardship exemption applications for Meaningful Use before the July 1 deadline, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

DataMotion Success Ramps in Healthcare as 37 EHR Vendors Meet 2014 ONC-ACB Certification Criteria with Direct Secure

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – September 30, 2014 – DataMotion™, an experienced health information service provider (HISP) with the industry’s leading record of customer deployments and Meaningful Use Stage 2 (MU2) attestations, announced today that 37 electronic health record (EHR) vendors have rapidly achieved 2014 ONC-ACB certification using DataMotion's Direct secure messaging service as “relied upon software.” DataMotion has become the leading HISP for EHR enablement, and to date, nearly half of all EHR vendors that have successfully achieved certification, as well as many other diverse healthcare organizations, have done so through the quick and easy integration of its technology.

Nevada hospital awarded $1.7M for EHR transition

The Boulder City Hospital is getting nearly $2 million in federal funds to move from paper to EHRs.

Intermountain, Cerner join bidders for $11B DoD contract

Intermountain Healthcare and Cerner have announced their intention to pursue the lucrative $11 billion Department of Defense EHR modernization contract.

Around the web

U.S. health systems are increasingly leveraging digital health to conduct their operations, but how health systems are using digital health in their strategies can vary widely.

When human counselors are unavailable to provide work-based wellness coaching, robots can substitute—as long as the workers are comfortable with emerging technologies and the machines aren’t overly humanlike.

A vendor that supplies EHR software to public health agencies is partnering with a health-tech startup in the cloud-communications space to equip state and local governments for managing their response to the COVID-19 crisis.