Editor’s Notebook: Defining “Patient-Centered”
The increasingly active role played by patients may be the biggest story in healthcare this year.
E-Prescribing in Massachusetts: Collaboration Leads to Success
The recent Institute of Medicine report, Preventing Medication Errors (July 2006), indicates that computerized systems for prescribing drugs show promise for reducing the number of drug-related errors compared to paper-based prescribing.
AHRQ – Medication Therapy Management: A New Opportunity to Optimize Therapeutic Outcomes in Medicare
Passage of the Medicare Part D benefit represents a historic opportunity for millions of older Americans to increase their access to prescription drugs. But the anticipated rise in pharmaceutical use also presents significant potential risks for consumers adding new drugs to their treatment regimens.
Web-Connected Patients and Doctors: The Case for Personal Control of Private Health Information
In June 2006, a number of vendors demonstrated, for the first time, the application of a new generation of consumer privacy technology to personal control of private health information.
Visual Learning Tools Overcome Health Illiteracy
In today’s “information age,” people are constantly inundated with comprehensive, up-to-the-minute health information. Newspapers and periodicals feature articles and bulletins about the latest medical breakthroughs and health hazards.
Technology and Quality – Interoperability: Finding a Home for Your Data
More than 2 years after the formation by executive order of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT), interoperability issues continue to challenge those working to make available comprehensive electronic health records (EHR*) for all American citizens.
Tackling Health Literacy
Patient education plays an increasingly significant role in healthcare these days. No longer are patients viewed simply as “consumers” of healthcare services. Instead, they are recognized as partners.
Recalls 101: What You May Not Know About Medical Product Recalls
Several high-profile recalls have focused renewed attention on medical product safety and highlighted the complexity of the recall process.
Partnering for a Successful Technology Conversion
Converting an entire hospital to a new infusion pump system is a task that can seem insurmountable at first.
Medication Safety: A Short Call Could Make the Difference
I may not be cheap, but I still drive a 10-year-old car with almost 200,000 miles on it. Everything works on it, but when something breaks, I quickly make an appointment to go to the dealership and get it fixed.