EHRs

What Does Interoperability Really Mean?

By William A. Hyman – Interoperability in the context of EHRs is much discussed, but remains somewhat loosely defined. According to the ONC definition, adopted from IEEE, interoperability is “the ability of systems to exchange and use electronic health information from other systems without special effort on the part of the user”.

Read More



When EHRs Are Not Enough

By Brian Edds – Thanks to some technology incentives from the government over the past several years, electronic health records (EHRs) have permeated the U.S. healthcare industry very quickly. Fewer than two out of 10 physicians used EHR systems in 2001.


Bridging the Gap Between Personal Health Records and EHRs

By Cora Alisuag – It has only been about two generations since traveling medicine shows were common forums for medical information. Today’s digital age patients still don’t know what is in their medical records. They need transparency, not secret hospital –vendor contracts and data blocking.


The Operating System for Value-Based Care

By Robert Rowley MD – Health care in the U.S. is on the threshold of fundamental change. Powered by advances in federal policy, the underlying way in which we pay for health care is moving from the traditional fee-for-service, pay-for-volume historic approach to one that pays for demonstrated value.


Health and Electronic Security

By Matt Fisher – The rapid adoption of electronic health records (“EHR”) and other new technology in healthcare has resulted in the introduction of serious security threats. Numerous stories and reports have made it clear that hackers, criminals and others view the healthcare industry as a ripe target due to security vulnerabilities. This issue is exacerbated by the high value placed upon medical records in the black market.


The Unfulfilled Expectations of the EHR and Clinical Communications

By Terry Edwards – Since the era of meaningful use began more than five years ago, healthcare providers have made great strides in implementing electronic health records (EHRs) within their facilities. The EHR market is now in the billions of dollars annually in the U.S. alone, and HealthIT.gov estimates that $22.5 billion in incentives will be paid to providers for adoption of EHR technology between the years of 2011-2022.