Patient safety is a top priority for every healthcare organization, but knowing where to direct initiatives can be daunting. To help organizations decide where to focus their efforts, ECRI Institute has compiled its second annual list of the Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations. "This is more than just a list; it's a reminder that, despite the attention … [Read more...] about Top 10 patient safety concerns
Technology
Medical selfies: photos with a purpose
Selfies, photos you take of yourself using a smartphone, are no longer a craze; they are a way of life. Usually, however, these photos serve little purpose besides entertainment. That may be about to change. DICOM Grid, an open cloud platform for medical imaging applications, has released "medical selfie," a new feature available through its mobile optimized medical image … [Read more...] about Medical selfies: photos with a purpose
Mobile service provides seniors with immediate access to doctors
Seniors Wireless, a subsidiary of mobile virtual network operator emveno, has launched the first combined mobile and telemedicine service in the United States specifically for the 55+ age group demographic. The service features teleMED Assist, which provides seniors unlimited, direct access to board-certified doctors via phone or video, for any reason, anytime and anywhere. … [Read more...] about Mobile service provides seniors with immediate access to doctors
What’s in your employee handbook?
Emerging issues are emerging in employee handbooks. Paid sick leave tops the list of emerging issues most commonly addressed in employee handbooks, with 79.4% of respondents addressing this new legal trend in their handbooks, according to an XpertHR survey. Data privacy is the second most common issue addressed (67.2%) and social media is a close third (64.2%). The survey … [Read more...] about What’s in your employee handbook?
Staff and remote access: more than patient information is at risk
Mobile technology, arguably, allows for greater efficiency and better communication. But, for the manager of a medical office, it also creates challenges. Staff who work remotely, even occasionally, may inadvertently share confidential information via unsecure networks when using smartphones and tablets, as well as personal laptops and notebook computers. Patient … [Read more...] about Staff and remote access: more than patient information is at risk
How to choose the electronic medical records vendor that’s right for you
Choosing the right electronic medical records vendor for your practice can seem like an overwhelming task—and getting it right is crucial. Before any other considerations, you want to be sure than any vendor you are considering is HITECH certified for 2014, so that you can achieve meaningful use stages one and two. This will also ensure HIPAA compliance. Beyond that the options … [Read more...] about How to choose the electronic medical records vendor that’s right for you
How Google Glass is changing the medical profession
Imagine this scenario. A physician completes a medical examination and begins to give the patient detailed instructions for maintaining his health. However, the doctor senses the patient isn't absorbing the information. So the physician dons his special eyewear, which, with a push of a button, allows him to create a video that can immediately be emailed to the patient. When the … [Read more...] about How Google Glass is changing the medical profession
Money motivates EHR adoption
The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator released a data brief in December addressing what motivates physicians to implement electronic health records (EHR) and the answer is … money. The data briefing reveals that financial incentives and reimbursement are currently the top reasons physicians decide to implement EHR. Physicians are … [Read more...] about Money motivates EHR adoption
Model Policy: Computer use and social networking
Why you need this policy: The law governing your right to discipline employees for the things they say on blogs and social networks is still in its infancy stages. But even from the early cases, it has become clear that online conversations are not simply private matters. There’s a big difference between bad-mouthing a company, supervisor or colleague to a friend over coffee … [Read more...] about Model Policy: Computer use and social networking
Double-digit growth projected in the U.S. telehealth market
A recent report from iData Research, a global leader in medical device market research, finds the U.S. patient monitoring market is projected to grow to more than $5 billion by 2020, due to expansion within the telehealth market. This market is segmented into cardiac implantable electric device telehealth monitoring and disease conditions management telehealth monitoring. By … [Read more...] about Double-digit growth projected in the U.S. telehealth market