Top Story

• New York promotes statewide HIE interoperability
  New York state will require health facilities investing in IT systems to ensure they work with the Statewide Health Information Network for New York. The state may be among the first to use the certificate of need process to promote interoperability of health information systems. Government Health IT magazine (12/2008)

	Use multilayer security to increase trust in e-health Healthcare organizations need to build trust in online confidentiality in order to gain the benefits of electronic healthcare—from saving dollars to saving lives. Learn how VeriSign multilayer security can help protect members' privacy and profit your business with fraud detection and protection for websites, transactions, and identity.

Providers

• IT-trained doctors feel uncomfortable with less IT
  Physicians who receive intensive IT training often feel vulnerable when working in less modern facilities, according to a new study from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The study found that Vanderbilt graduates felt like they were not able to provide safe patient care without IT options and were less able to work efficiently and communicate information. Healthcare IT News (12/4)

• Survey shows 1 in 5 nurses routinely uses EHRs
  Harvard research shows higher levels of nursing excellence when RNs have access to computerized documentation, but only 1 in 5 reports routine use of electronic health records. The survey found 17% of inpatient nurses said they routinely used minimally functional EHRs and an additional 67% use at least one of the components, including capturing patient demographics, electronic ordering of procedures, or drugs and decision support. NurseZone.com (12/4)

• Virginia alliance offers EMRs for member physicians
  Physicians in the WVVA HealthCare Alliance, which is made up of 30 multi-specialty physicians from Virginia and West Virginia, will soon have access to electronic medical records systems from InteGreat. An Alliance executive said the system is streamlined and intuitive. Healthcare IT News (12/3)

	Is your data secure? The vast majority of data leaks are accidental — a thumb drive left on a desk after work, or patient information uploaded to an unsecure computer or work station. Using a data loss prevention (DLP) application can help ensure that your data stays secure throughout its lifetime. To learn about data loss prevention technologies and individual DLP product strengths and weaknesses, download this free Gartner Report.

Payors

• Hawaii health plan to begin online physician service
  The Hawaii Medical Service Association says it will begin offering an online physician service in January, the first of its kind nationwide. Anyone in the state, including non-HMSA plan members, can log on 24/7 and talk to a doctor or have a face-to-face conversation using a Web cam. The Honolulu Advertiser (12/4)

Technology Trends

• Study: Health care IT improves outcomes, saves money
  A study from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found using health care IT results in improved care quality and significant cost savings for chronically ill patients. One project found that remote monitoring of congestive heart failure patients reduced unnecessary hospitalizations and ER visits. Healthcare IT News (12/3)

• Nebraska readies for electronic records pilot program
  Nebraska is preparing for a 90-day pilot program that could make it the first state in the nation to enable hospitals, pharmacies, physicians and other providers to share patient records electronically. Four Omaha health systems -- Alegent, Nebraska Medical Center, Methodist and Children's -- will link up to share e-records with a physician group practice, independent physicians, a radiology center, pharmacy and laboratory. If the pilot is successful, the health information exchange will be rolled out statewide. Lincoln Journal Star (Neb.) (12/3)

• Videoconferencing proves crucial for Alaska health care
  The state of Alaska -- which has a shortage of doctors, nurses, mental health professionals and pharmacists -- has benefited from using videoconferencing to recruit health care professionals. GCI's ConnectMD provides teleconferencing services that allow hospital CEOs to interview potential employees and provide extra training and licensing for staff. Healthcare IT News (12/3)

	The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Free HIMSS Webinar, Dec. 18 – The Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NeHII) is poised to exchange data as one of the first statewide HIEs. Governance, funding, stakeholder value, sustainability, privacy, security, and consumer and technical challenges... Register Interested in learning more about advertising in eHealth SmartBrief? Contact Aaron Kern at (202) 407-7813 or akern@smartbrief.com.

Events Calendar

Upcoming events are managed by the eHealth SmartBrief team. Please email ehealthevents@smartbrief.com to have your event added.

12/8	4th Annual World Healthcare Innovation & Technology Conference World Congress, Dec. 8 to 10, Washington, D.C.

12/8	Health 3.0 Summit Consumer Health World, Dec. 8 to 10, Arlington, Va.

12/15

5th NHIN Forum: Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) Trial Implementations: A Path to Production AHRQ, Dec. 15 to 16, Washington, D.C.

12/16

Managing External Health Information Inside Your Organization AHIMA, Dec. 16, Online

1/14	Healthinf 2009 INSTICC, Jan. 14 to 17, Porto, Portugal

Click here to view the complete calendar of events

Regulatory/Legislative

• FDA teams up with WebMD for consumer-health alerts
  The FDA and WebMD are collaborating to improve the agency's ability to deliver product-safety and other health information to the public. Under the agreement, WebMD will publish FDA updates on its Web site as well as in its bimonthly magazine. United Press International (12/3), Health Data Management (12/3)

• Analysis: Daschle to launch health care overhaul
  President-elect Barack Obama's pick for HHS secretary, former Sen. Thomas Daschle, will have dual challenges: running a huge government health care bureaucracy and leading efforts to reform the U.S. health care system. Daschle, in a speech to be delivered in Denver today, is expected to discuss the importance of expanding insurance coverage, cutting costs and improving quality. He also will call on Americans to get involved in the debate on health care reform. The Washington Post (12/5), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (12/5)

Director, US Health Care Compliance, Johnson & Johnson New Brunswick, NJ Healthcare Improvement Project Director Delmarva Foundation US-MD-COLUMBIA Clinical Information Manager Adventist HealthCare, Inc. US-MD-Rockville Health Information Managment Coder NRI Healthcare Staffing US-MD-Columbia National Guard Psychological Health Consultant Ceridian US-DC-Washington Senior Associate/Scientist - Health Economist Abt Associates US-MD-Bethesda Health Care Analyst NCQA US-DC-Washington Technical Support Analyst II (Clinical) Quadramed US-VA-Northern Virginia Senior Healthcare Consultant- Informatics Creative Computing Solutions Inc US-MD-Silver Spring Associate/Scientist - Health Systems Strengthening Advisor Abt Associates US-MD-Bethesda Assistant Director of Data Quality & Coding Adventist HealthCare, Inc. US-MD-Rockville

SmartQuote

I don't possess a lot of self-confidence. I'm an actor so I simply act confident every time I hit the stage." --Arsenio Hall, comedian, actor