Top Story

• Senators ask GAO to look at health care best practices
  Two Senate Democrats have sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office asking it to identify health care best practices used by hospitals, states and other countries. Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island say the U.S. must focus on improving health outcomes, prevention and wellness, and reducing waste in the health care system. Modern Healthcare (free registration) (11/25)

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Hospitals

• GWU hospital improves communication with interactive software
  New interactive methods of communication based on Netpresenter software at George Washington University Hospital have improved employee satisfaction with hospital communication by 33%. The software uses a single system with large monitors and interactive screensavers to send information to staff, update visitors and patients, and warn everyone in an emergency. Healthcare IT News (11/26)

• Thayer County Health uses grant to connect providers
  With a $1.6 million Critical Access Hospital Health Information Technology grant, Thayer County Health Services in Hebron, Neb., has been able to create an information exchange that connects patients and providers with health clinics, EMS units, pharmacies, a nursing home and other groups. The grant also helps the group study improvements and share lessons with partner providers that interact with the company. H&HN Magazine online (11/26)

Providers

• Study: EHRs may lower malpractice claims among physicians
  A recent survey of 1,140 physicians in Massachusetts indicated that those with electronic health record systems may have lower-paid medical malpractice settlements compared with those without EHRs. The finding suggests that "preventing medical malpractice claims may be another compelling reason for physicians, practices and policy makers to forge ahead with efforts toward universal adoption and optimal usage of EHRs," the study's senior author said. Healthcare IT News (11/26)

Technology Trends

• Report: Personalized medicine needs integrated IT
  Integrated IT systems are required for successful personalized medicine, Kenneth Buetow, director of the National Cancer Institute's Center of Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology, said in an HHS report. "HIT vendors have a unique opportunity to provide the dynamic, point-of-care decision support necessary to support the broad adoption of personalized medicine," investment experts said in another paper. Government Health IT magazine (11/2008)

• New York center will integrate RIS/PACS to improve workflow
  Maxwell Medical Imaging expects to boost its workflow efficiencies by installing an integrated radiology data system and picture-archiving communication system. Aspyra's AccessRAD RIS/PACS will give radiologists online access to past and current patient information, resulting in quicker report turnaround to referring clinicians, the center's administrator said. Healthcare IT News (11/26)

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Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by eHealth SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Iowa hospital punishes employees for patient data breach (HealthImaging.com)

• Health IT experts: Daschle good choice for HHS secretary (Healthcare IT News)

• Joint Commission releases "hospital of the future" guide (Modern Healthcare)

• Tech companies see health care IT as untapped market (Reuters)

• AHA: Hospitals taking financial hit from bad economy (The Seattle Times)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Regulatory/Legislative

• CMS paper offers value-based purchasing program recommendations
  CMS has issued a paper for guidelines on switching to a value-based purchasing program designed to encourage evidence-based medicine through public reporting and financial incentives. Modern Healthcare (free registration) (11/26)

• Obama budget chief: Government needs to intervene for HIT to work
  Peter R. Orszag, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for the Office of Management and Budget, has said that the adoption of health care IT practices will require federal intervention. Earlier this year, he said his ideal system would involve requiring IT or subsidizing programs without using bonuses for physicians. Healthcare IT News (11/26)

• ANSI forms EHR workgroup for clinical research
  The American National Standards Institute has formed EHR Clinical Research Value Case Workgroup, which will work without federal funding to identify information that can be easily exchanged between EHRs and clinical research systems. The group aims to establish an infrastructure to help evaluate and advance clinical research to improve clinical care said Dr. Rebecca Kush, a co-chair of the group. Government Health IT magazine (11/2008)

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 Regional Vice President of Operations Consulate Health Care US-VA-Alexandria Healthcare Development Manager MRINetwork US-MD-Silver Spring Operations Manager, Medical Records Holy Cross Hospital US-MD-Silver Spring Healthcare Interoperability Architect Vangent US-MD-Andrews AFB Case Manager Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health System US-MD-Rockville HEALTH INFORMATION SPECIALIST / MEDICAL RECORDS CLERK Baltimore Washington Medical Center US-MD-Glen Burnie

SmartQuote

We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse." --Anne-Sophie Swetchine, Russian-French writer