Drugstore gaint Walgreens has announced the expansion of its telehalth platform to offer telehealth visits through MDLIVE, provider of telehealth services that will give Walgreen customers 24/7 access to U.S. board-certified doctors through its mobile application. The collaboration aims to transform retail digital healthcare delivery and compete against competitors Rite Aid and CVS who already have similar telehealth offerings. Last year, Walgreens launched its Pharmacy Chat feature,
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ONC Report: 26 Trends Driving Physician EHR Adoption
The need to share patient information with other providers and the use of financial incentives are key drivers in why many providers adopt and use health information technology tools like EHRs, according a data brief released today from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).
ONC Report Overview
The new data brief details why physicians decided to adopt – or not adopt –EHRs, and it helps to explain how financial incentives drive physician EHR adoption. Additionally, data
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JASON Releases Data for Individual Health Report
In a blog post yesterday, the ONC National Coordinator Karen DeSalvo, MD references a new JASON report titled Data for Individual Health that focuses on "how to create a health information system that focuses on the health of individuals, not just the care they receive." JASON is an independent group of scientists and academics that has been advising the Federal government on matters of science and technology for over 50 years. The report commissioned by the HHS was done in partnership with the
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Philips Launches Consortium To Explore Mobile Ultrasound Solutions
During RNSA 2014, Philips has announced the initiation of a Consortium of health care leaders that will drive connected health through mobile ultrasound solutions, highlighted by the demonstration of a new app-based ultrasound proof-of-concept. This Consortium builds on Philips' momentum in the development of connected health technology that opens new opportunities to connect care across the health continuum using app-based ultrasound solutions designed to interface with the Philips
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CMS Extends Meaningful Use Attestation Deadline to 12/31
CMS has announced a one month extension for eligible hospitals and Critical Assess Hospitals (CAHs) to attest to meaningful use for the Medicare EHR program reporting period 2014 to December 31, 2014. According to CMS, the one month extension will allow more time for hospitals to submit their meaningful use attestation data for their incentive payments and avoid the the 2016 Medicare payment adjustments.
Additionally, CMS is also extending the deadline for eligible hospitals and CAHs that
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9 Healthcare Executives Envision Care Delivery in 5 Years
PwC’s Health Research Institute (HRI) today recently released a new report, Healthcare delivery of the future: How digital technology can bridge the gap of time and distance between clinicians and consumers. The report reveals a shift in attitudes among clinicians, suggesting an increased openness toward using digital technology, and offers detailed recommendations for how healthcare companies, clinicians, and new entrants can harness developing technologies to benefit patients and the
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Beth Israel Hospital to Pay $100k for Patient Data Breach
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has agreed to pay a $100,000 fine for a patient data breach involving 4,000 patients and employees, Boston Globe reports. The fine stems from a stolen physician's laptop back in May 2012 that contained health information of 3,796 patients and Beth Israel employees, as well as personal information, such as Social Security numbers, of 194 other Massachusetts residents.
According to the Massachusetts attorney general’s office, the hospital’s
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Gartner: Sales of Health Wearables Expected to Decline in 2015
According to Gartner, sales of health wearables is expected to decline in 2015 driven by an overlap in functionality between health/fitness werables and smartwatches. Health/fitness wearables is forecast to reach 68.1 million units in 2015, down from 70 million units in 2014. In the Gartner report, Wearable Electronic Devices for Fitness, Worldwide, 2014 report analysts predict sales will rebound in 2016 because of versatile designs and models with cheaper displays.
Table 1 — Worldwide
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Cognizant Completes Acquisition of TriZetto
Cognizant, a global leader in information technology, consulting and business process services, today announced it has completed the acquisition of TriZetto Corporation for $2.7 billion in cash. The combination of the Cognizant and TriZetto platform and capabilities will enable healthcare organizations to focus on making their operations as efficient as possible, while at the same time investing to drive future growth in an increasingly competitive environment.
TriZetto develops, licenses
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Kaiser Permanente to Provide Primary Care to Target Clinics
Kaiser Permanente and Target are partnering to launch four Target Clinics in Southern California in November and December. Consumers will receive expanded health services in addition to its traditional primary health care services at Target Clinics including:
- pediatric and adolescent care
- well-woman care
- family planning
- management of chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure
Through this partnership, Kaiser Permanente will provide care to Kaiser
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