Latest California Healthline Stories
Smartphones Might Aid Health Effort in Rural California
The emerging use of cell phones and smartphones in medicine has been passing by rural communities, but that may be changing as mobile signals reach more remote areas of California. New technologies and new signals to broaden their reach could fill a burgeoning need.
San Jose Democrat Working on Bill To Create Oversight for Health Apps
Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) plans to introduce in the U.S. House of Representatives a bill that calls for a new FDA office specifically designed to regulate health applications on smart phones and other mobile devices.
The new regulatory office in Honda’s bill, expected to be introduced at the beginning of the next session, would oversee apps designed for consumers, as well as those used by health professionals. According to a spokesperson in Honda’s office, there is not enough oversight for apps that consumers use to access health information.
“The office will be located in the FDA Office of the Commissioner, much like many other specialty offices (like the Office of Women, Office of Minority Health) are,” Honda’s spokesperson Michael Shank wrote in an email. The office’s goal would be to streamline regulation of what the FDA defines as health care technology, according to Shank.
Can UC-Davis Change Pace of Health Information Exchange in California?
Reliable, widespread health information exchange has been elusive in California despite earnest attempts over the past eight years. Now the Institute for Population Health Improvement at UC-Davis is stepping up to the plate as the new cooperative agreement partner charged with bringing HIE to fruition.
Health 2.0: Searching for Meaning in Health Data
At the 6th annual Health 2.0 Conference, speakers stressed the importance of making health care data meaningful, accessible and actionable, while adhering to regulatory requirements, supporting evidence-based medicine and satisfying providers, patients and payers.
California Making Progress in Digital Transition
California is making progress in its transition to electronic health records, state officials said Thursday in an update on the state’s eHealth Initiative.
“Electronic health records are really changing the quality of care individuals are receiving,” said Linette Scott, chief medical information officer for the Department of Health Care Services.
So far, California has allocated $775 million in federal funds to hospitals, doctors and other health care providers to support health information exchange technology, Scott said in a conference call. “It demonstrates a change in the way health care is delivered,” she said.
Direct Messaging Called Major Advance in State’s HIE Effort
The health information technology community got a chance to see direct messaging — a new way to move information between providers who use different electronic health record systems — in action last week at a two-day conference.
Future of Health IT on Display at Gathering
The future of health care depends on the present of health information technology.
That was the take-home message yesterday, during the first day of a two-day conference on the progress and promise of health IT in California. The gathering is called “Connecting California to Improve Patient Care in 2012: Practical Solutions for Health Information Exchange and Quality Analytics.” That mouthful was nothing compared to the arcane and complex conversation during the first of a two-day conference in Rohnert Park. The conference concludes today.
“We are using data to improve people’s health care,” said Linette Scott, chief medical information officer for the state Department of Health Care Services. Scott said the success of state health care projects, like the duals demonstration project (also known as the Coordinated Care Initiative), for instance, depends on the successful development of information technology.
Targeting Technology To Treat Senior Population
A new organization — AgeTech California — hopes to help California care for its growing senior population by making greater and better use of technology like home telehealth systems and remote medication management.
California Offers HIPAA Security Rule Toolkit
California’s Office of Health Information Integrity is offering a no-cost, online toolkit to help California health care providers navigate the federal rules governing the security of patient information in electronic health records.
After 2 Years of Cal eConnect, What’s Next for HIE in California?
At Cal eConnect, one CEO left, another bailed on the job before he started, and now the board of directors dissolved its grant agreement with the state. If it goes right, the latter move may be the best thing that could happen to California’s primary health information exchange facilitator.