How would you like to have to tell 34,000 patients that their data had been hacked? That’s the situation that Quest Diagnostics found itself in recently after hackers stole health information including names, birth dates, telephone numbers and lab results.

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The number of clinicians who use smartphones and other mobile devices on the job is rising rapidly, and so is the number of facilities that have created mobile device management strategies to cope. "Organizations with a documented mobility strategy have nearly doubled, and in-house use of pagers has increased slightly during the past two years," according to Health Data Management. Almost 90 percent of physicians surveyed reported using smartphones, while about half of nurses and other staff members use them. In response, more than 60 percent of hospitals surveyed have a documented mobile device strategy. (The survey, by mobile messaging service vendor Spok, included responses from about 550 hospitals.) The leading mobile devices used in hospitals are: Smartphones (78 percent) In-house pagers (71 percent) Wi-Fi phones (69 percent) Wide-area pagers (57 percent) Tablets (52 percent) Security and privacy, of course, are huge concerns for those setting mobile... read more

New research shows that patients in need of a hospital transfer were treated 27 minutes faster when their medical teams used a smartphone app-based social network system (SNS) to set up the transfer, compared to medical teams who didn’t use the smartphone technology. The research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, monitored the time that patients with ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) suffered from ischemia (reduction in blood supply) while they waited to have a procedure opening their blocked arteries. On nights and weekends, the treatment time reduction was even greater than during the regular work week. One of the study’s senior researchers, Jin Joo Park, M.D., pointed out that there is a higher risk of death for patients who get to a hospital during off hours—a worldwide trend. “Transferred STEMI patients rarely achieve timely reperfusion due to delays in the transfer process, especially when transferred during off-hours,” Park told... read more

The Role of Mobile & The Cloud Q: What is the role of mobile and the cloud in the healthcare analytics industry? A: Cloud-based technologies hold the promise of delivering better technology solutions at reduced cost. Mobile will increasingly be the platform of choice for quick updates of the most relevant information for a specific situation. Mobile platforms provide an efficient and effective way to consume healthcare analytics. Q: What challenges and benefits do you predict will arise as mobile and cloud-based access becomes more prevalent? A: Security protocols will have to meet standards and may limit access to specific patient data. Analytics not at the patient level will become easy to access. Increasingly, caregivers will know how their organizations are doing at meeting care quality goals efficiently. Eventually, patients may get there too. Q: What use will healthcare organizations have for patient-generated data? A: Over time, biometric data... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest news from the cardiology community? We've captured the top industry stories from this week that you won't want to miss. After Obamacare implementation, public still rates healthcare good or excellent Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare) hasn’t changed how Americans rate their healthcare, according to a new Gallup poll. More than half of the respondents rated their healthcare good or excellent, but less than 24 percent were satisfied with healthcare costs. Healthcare coverage was rated positively by only 33 percent. Diagnostic ECG waveform reading in Carestream Vue Motion viewer cleared by FDA The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given clearance for diagnostic reading of electrocardiogram (ECG) waveforms on mobile tablets and desktop displays using Carestream’s Vue Motion universal viewer. The new capability would allow physicians to give faster responses to ST segment elevation myocardial... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. Healthcare Big Data Analytics: From Description to Prescription According to Health IT Analytics, many providers still struggle to understand how big their data is, and how to collect and use it effectively. To manage their data, healthcare organizations need to understand the three types of analytics: descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive. Four Ways Hospitals are Improving Behavioral Health Care Hospitals & Health Networks Magazine discusses the different ways in which healthcare organizations are improving behavioral health care. Mental health management relies on behavioral health strategies that improve access to care while taking the burden off of emergency departments. Physician Education for ICD-10 ​Diagnostic Imaging reports on the implementation of ICD-10, which is... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. Meaningful Use Payouts Top $16.5 Billion FierceEMR reports that over 325,000 unique providers have received incentives of more than $16.5 billion in payouts. Participation in the Meaningful Use incentive program continues to grow. Why Integrating EMRs and digital images is an ethical and practical imperative Radiologist Dr. Andrew Litt talks about why he believes that improving access to patient information and unifying the patient record across different authorized caregivers will improve patient care. Experts Reshape Treatment Guide for Cholesterol The New York Times covers one of the top healthcare stories of this week, which is that the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have released updated guidelines on statins use to reduce the risk of heart attack... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. Focus on the Patient, Not the Device Dr. Iverson Bell spoke at the AHIMA Convention and Exhibit in Atlanta and discussed how doctors should adapt to the proliferation of mobile devices in their lives and practices. His tips include incorporating digital technology into a practice workflow, maintaining security, and engaging patients with digital technology. Sebelius Takes Responsibility for Healthcare.gov, Vows Fixes Government Health IT covers the big news this week, which is the problematic Healthcare.gov website. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has claimed responsibility for the issues and states that "the application at this point does not work end-to-end very well." Docs Making Strides on Data Exchange According to Healthcare IT News, a new study has found that the majority of... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. 4 things to know about how consumers perceive and use HIT Government Health IT covers the four priorities that providers and policymakers need to keep in mind, including access priorities, access extent, HIE, and how patients can access healthcare information. Non-profits sets new standards for modular EHRs InformationWeek discusses how the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative just achieved all three Meaningful Use Stage 2 requirements for its in-house EHR system. Obamacare goes live: healthcare cloud computing in action The big news in the healthcare IT space this week is the announcement that online enrollment of government-approved healthcare exchanges under the Affordable Care Act has gone live. Health IT takes hold around the world Healthcare IT News shines the spotlight on... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. Healthcare cloud changing “with a vengeance” Government Health IT reports on the changing climate when it comes to cloud computing in healthcare, as more and more care providers adopt innovative technologies that allow for secure, web-based data access. ONC to define patient matching best practices Government Health IT also discusses the ONC’s new project, which seeks best practices for patient matching. With more patient-data matching, the ONC hopes to improve patient care at hospitals. There’s a Healthcare Piece to New iPhone The big news in the tech world this week is the unveiling of the new iPhone5S. According to Healthcare IT News, the new version also has a M7 “motion compressor” which could allow it to work as an mHealth device. Medical Practices Move Health IT to Cloud... read more