Health News

Walmart joins MediLedger, blockchain-based pharma tracking group

Walmart is the latest major company to sign on with the blockchain initiative Mediledger, which is exploring ways to harness distributed ledger technology to ensure the security and safety of pharmaceuticals. WHY IT MATTERS The news, first reported by bitcoin and blockchain website Coindesk, signifies that health and life sciences use cases for blockchain are […]

Health News

How to ensure interoperable data is usable by caregivers

Everyone knows that interoperability is key to realizing the improved outcomes that technology and data can produce. But once a healthcare provider organization has some interoperable systems in place, how usable is that data to the clinical end users? With more data available, and from various sources, what happens to ease of use? Three physician […]

Health News

HIMSS writes new definition of interoperability

HIMSS has crafted a new definition for interoperability and is seeking public feedback on it. HIMSS, the owner of Healthcare IT News, described the new concept as one specifically fit for the larger healthcare ecosystem. Mari Greenberger, senior director of informatics at HIMSS, explained that there are now four layers to the proposed interoperability definition: […]

Health News

Why home healthcare workers need access to hospital EHRs

Major gaps in communication exist between hospital and home health care (HHC) clinicians, which could lead to potentially deadly medical errors, a University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus study found. WHY IT MATTERS The study that concluded providing electronic health record access for HHC clinicians would be a promising solution to improve the quality of […]

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Blockchain for healthcare: How CIOs should be approaching it

What is blockchain, and what do CIOs need to know about how it can improve healthcare? It’s a question that’s both straightforward and complex. There’s a forum on Reddit called Explain Like I’m Five. And there’s plenty of discussion there about the basic concepts behind distributed ledger technology, from the mechanics of how it’s designed […]

Health News

How one lab interfaced with 100 EHRs, saving $120,000 annually

Cedar Knolls, New Jersey-based MedLabs Diagnostics, a full-service diagnostic lab, had a growing ambulatory customer base and a backlog of electronic health record implementations. Its clinical customers used numerous different EHRs, many of which were relatively new on the market, with varying capabilities to import electronic lab results, create clean and complete lab orders and […]

Health News

Healthcare app economy is coming: Get ready for the dataquake

Before the Blue Button Developer Conference on Monday, I stepped inside the U.S. Digital Service for something of a pre-party. USDS hosted this mix of people in full suits rubbing elbows with tattooed technologists wearing t-shirts. In the packed room, USDS Deputy Administrator Edward Hartwig climbed onto a couch to deliver congratulations to the team […]