blog.DrFirst

June 30th – The Deadline for Your Bottom Line

Irene Froehlich — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:36:58 +0000

The half-way mark for 2012 is quickly approaching. And while the month of June traditionally brings weddings, graduations and the start of summer vacations, busy practitioners face an important deadline on June 30, 2012—one that may present an unpleasant surprise when receiving Medicare reimbursements. In case you haven’t been keeping up with this important topic, [...]

Creating a Healthcare IT Plan

Irene Froehlich — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:44 +0000

Years ago most IT departments’ plans included streamlining data, optimizing work flow and overseeing staffing. The new approach is to make healthcare IT more patient friendly. In the words of Sue Sutton, president and CEO of Tower Strategies, “The future of IT planning should focus on an inclusive approach — all while optimizing workflows, playing up [...]

Current Trends in the Healthcare Workforce

Irene Froehlich — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:33:41 +0000

A perfect storm is brewing in the healthcare industry. Experienced workers are leaving the industry at a far higher rate than qualified workers are entering — and the medical industry is rapidly expanding. Clinton Wingrove, EVP and principal consultant at Pilat HR Solutions, mentions several factors causing this shift and offers suggestions for how the storm might [...]

Convincing Medical Providers to Embrace E-prescribing

Irene Froehlich — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:36:12 +0000

It’s undeniable. A growing number of physicians, medical centers and hospitals have made the move from writing pen-and-paper prescriptions to electronic prescribing. Equally undeniable are the holdouts: doctors and medical centers still reluctant about e-prescribing. What will it take to convince the skeptics that this new way of sending prescriptions to pharmacies is the right [...]

Video: Health Care and Information Technology

Irene Froehlich — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:13:02 +0000

HIStalk reader “Kermit” pointed out a recent video published by the Massachusetts Medical Society’s “Physician Focus” program featuring Tom Sullivan, MD, Chief Strategic Officer at DrFirst, and Hugh Taylor, M.D. The video aims to discuss what health IT really is and what it means to physicians. The trio discuss electronic medication history, e-prescribing, the benefits of these systems [...]

NY Times Featured Article: Chicken Scratches vs. Electronic Prescriptions

Irene Froehlich — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:37:51 +0000

As e-mail and texting have become our favored means of written communication, handwriting has almost disappeared. Penmanship is becoming a modern form of hieroglyphics, intelligible only to literary scholars. But one place where handwriting persists is on medical prescriptions, and that’s unfortunate. Sloppy writing or inappropriate directions can lead to what doctors delicately refer to [...]

What FDA Regulation of Mobile Medical Apps Means to You

Irene Froehlich — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:55 +0000

A Food and Drug Administration July 19, 2011, press release announced: FDA outlines oversight of mobile medical applications. The release listed various apps being considered for regulation and how the regulations would be enforced. The final regulations are open to public comment. Mobile medical health apps, which are used as an accessory to a regulated [...]

The WiFi Revolution in Healthcare IT

Irene Froehlich — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:00:37 +0000

Healthcare is on the verge of a revolution in mobile technology thanks to a WiFi. According to the WiFi Alliance, WiFi technology is expected to explode, becoming more affordable, faster, more available and more reliable. WiFi could soon replace all 3G and 4G networks and make WiFi coverage universally accessible, as quoted in Tech Goes Strong. For [...]

E-prescribing Improves Safety and Life Quality for Nursing Home and Assisted Living Patients

Peter Kaufman — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:56 +0000

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are serious threats in nursing home and assisted living facilities where the advanced age and poor health of most patients make them more vulnerable than the general population. This effect is compounded by many patients taking multiple medications significantly increasing the possibility of an adverse event. According to a study by Warwick [...]

HIStalk Interviews DrFirst President G. Cameron Deemer: Part 3 of 3

Irene Froehlich — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:55:59 +0000

You mentioned that you’re looking at different elements of missing functionality. What areas do you think could be improved that there might be an opportunity for DrFirst? In the industry today, there are just some structural problems because of the large number of EMRs, EHRs out in the market. We count about 600, of which [...]