Electronic Health Records (EHR) news and information

Federal health information technology policymakers plan to establish a voluntary program for the testing and certification of electronic health-record systems used by long-term care, post-acute care and behavioral health providers.
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There has been significant progress in getting health information technology systems to talk to one another, according to a new study on interoperability by HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
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DocuTrac, which develops electronic health records and practice-management software for the behavioral health industry, has hired Kevin O'Shaughnessy as director of technical support services.
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Six regional networks of community health centers are slated to receive a total of $3 million in federal funding toward the adoption of or improvement to their electronic health-record systems.
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Nashville healthcare providers looking for a way to meet federal requirements related to electronic health records have a new option. The Tennessee Health eShare Direct Project rolled out statewide this week, following pilot programs in Chattanooga, Memphis and Hickman County that launched in March.
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Hospitals and office-based physicians not yet using an electronic health-record system can get some free help from the federal government on what to expect when contracting to buy EHR software or services.
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The findings of a new study published this week in BMJ Quality & Safety show the first evidence that electronic health records can play a role in reducing hospital readmissions of high-risk heart failure patients.
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Consumer advocates and attorneys are lining up against a proposal to allow patients requesting their own medical records to be charged up to four times what they pay now.
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Eight out of 10 eligible hospitals and 58% of eligible physicians and other medical professionals have received payments totaling $15.5 billion under the federal electronic health record incentive payment program, according to the latest CMS data.
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The cost of connecting one health information technology system with another remains a significant barrier to achieving the national goal of a computerized and interconnected healthcare industry. Healthcare providers complain that they often pay high fees...
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