Archive | February, 2011

Patients can handle the truth, and are looking for it: peer-to-peer health care

By on February 28, 2011 in Health Consumers, Health engagement, Health social networks, Internet and Health, media and health, Personalized medicine

Most health consumers in the U.S. use the internet to seek health information, socialization and empowerment. Dig deeper, and you’ll find a growing cadre of people who go online to find people with the same conditions they have; 1 in 4 people (23%) among those living with chronic conditions have gone online to ID others like them, including people with [...]

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The health IT talent shortage could slow HIT adoption in U.S. health care

By on February 25, 2011 in Affordable Care Act, Health care information technology, Health reform, HITECH Act, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

For hospital CIOs, 2011 and 2012 are all about achieving meaningful use, focusing on clinical systems, safe-keeping health information, and staying financially healthy as an organization.  These insights are brought to you by the 22nd Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey, sponsored by Citrix. This survey has become the most important snapshot of health CIOs’ priorities looking ahead. This [...]

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The Connected Patient: some forces converging in the market, but barriers remain

By on February 25, 2011 in Aging and Technology, Baby Boomers and Health, Electronic health records, Health care information technology, Health Consumers, Health engagement, Health social networks, medical home, Medical technology, Mobile health, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Telehealth

Remote health monitoring, which enables people to track health and daily living metrics when they are in one place and communicate those measures to another node via some communications platform, is not a new concept. Telehealth, telemedicine, consumer-facing health electronics like USB-ported blood pressure monitors, and some mobile apps can all fall under the broad umbrella [...]

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Robert Reich connects the dots between the macroeconomy, angst, politics and health care costs

By on February 22, 2011 in Affordable Care Act, Baby Boomers and Health, Demographics and health, Electronic health records, Health care information technology, Health Consumers, Health Economics, Health politics, Health reform, HITECH Act, Medicare, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Uncategorized

“I’m not a class warrior. I’m a class worrier,” Robert Reich told a standing-room only crowd of thousands of health IT geeks as he delivered the first keynote address of the annual meeting of HIMSS, the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society. This year’s crowd will have reached about 31,000 people interested in health information [...]

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As health care demand is constrained, who will pay for medical innovations? Reflections on Moody’s analysis

By on February 18, 2011 in Baby Boomers and Health, Employers, Health Consumers, Health Economics, Medical innovation, Medical technology, Uncategorized

“Employers and health insurers, through benefit design and medical management, are now playing a larger role in curbing use of healthcare services….spurring a more permanent cultural shift in consumer behavior,” Moody’s writes in a special comment dated February 16, 2011. “This will continue to constrain healthcare demand even as the economy recovers.” The chart illustrates [...]

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