by Ray Desrochers The healthcare payor market is changing faster than ever before. Healthcare reform initiatives, regulatory revisions, and the movement away from the static, one-size-fits-all healthcare options of the past are creating new challenges and opportunities for payors across the nation. Many find themselves facing a growing demand for financial accountability and responsibility, transparency,… Read more »
by Philippe d’Offay With the growing adoption of EMRs and e-prescribing, many small and medium-sized practices are discovering that software – which has the ability to eliminate costly manual processes – also can introduce inefficiencies. How will the patient’s electronic chart include the prescription that a doctor entered on her iPhone, or the lab that… Read more »
By Psilos Group: Al Waxman, Darlene Collins, and Lisa Suennen, Contributing Editors September 24, 2009 – ECONOMIC & INNOVATION DRIVERS FOR HEALTHCARE POLICY EDITOR’S NOTE: This paper is the first formal “policy perspective” published by healthcare venture capital firm Psilos Group. Psilos has been investing in private-sector healthcare reform since 1998, with a defined focus on… Read more »
by John Shagoury The patient care benefits and technological capabilities of high-tech diagnostic medical imaging are proven. However, there are two major concerns in this current system – excessive radiation risks for young patients and skyrocketing costs related to medically unnecessary tests being ordered by physicians. To combat these issues, an alliance of leading healthcare… Read more »
by Evan Steele Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) have been in the news a lot lately. It seems everyone is talking or writing about them, sometimes as a panacea, sometimes as a way to obtain Stimulus Bill money. Yet while they have been around for several years, their record is mixed. Some practices have done well… Read more »
by Ransom Parker There were few surprises when on June 16, 2009 the HIT Policy Committee released its initial recommendations for the definition of “meaningful use” of EHRs. While the recommendations are far from final, the “holy grail” remains intact at the policy level. We are reminded once again of the dramatic changes that are… Read more »
by Gus Gardner President Obama threw down the gauntlet at his White House Forum on Health Reform back in March. He called healthcare IT the “low hanging fruit” of healthcare reform; one of the few things both Democrats and Republicans seem to agree on. This is good news for healthcare IT executives and consumers alike…. Read more »
by Jim Gibson Leaving for HIMSS, I find myself thinking about history. When reading history, major developments seem so dramatic. Yet, when we are living through them, the drama is sometimes lost. No matter how much attention we pay, it is hard to fully appreciate what is unfolding in our economy and political system. The… Read more »
by Don Fallati The Stimulus Bill and the prospect of healthcare reform have recently overshadowed discussion of just about every other topic in healthcare. Yet, even in the midst of an economic recession, we have a coming labor shortage in healthcare that deserves our attention. For several years, providers and vendors have slowly but steadily… Read more »