Latest California Healthline Stories
‘Meaningful Use’ Rules Cap Year-End Health IT Activity
“Meaningful use” rules released just under deadline may have been the most anticipated health IT development of year’s end, but it wasn’t the only one. The federal government continues to move ahead with various programs spelled out in the federal stimulus package.
California Health IT Sphere in Flux in Wake of CalRHIO Shake-Up
CalRHIO, one of the country’s first organizations designed to oversee the exchange of digital health information, has entered a state of limbo after failing to win designation as California’s lead health IT agency.
Federal Stimulus Funds Aim To Help Medi-Cal Providers Adopt Electronic Health Record Tools
Kim Ortiz of the Department of Health Care Services, Sean South of the California Primary Care Association and Mary Szecsey of West County Health Centers spoke with California Healthline about the new federal funds.
Clearer Picture Emerges on Stimulus’ IT Funding
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT recently issued updates on funding programs aimed at advancing health IT adoption, including changes to an existing funding program and the announcement of a new initiative.
School-Based Telehealth in Line for Double-Barreled Boost
A new report detailing the potential of school-based telehealth services arrives as those services move into position for an extra boost from broadband expansion plans in the federal stimulus package and new funding in national health reform legislation.
Health IT Stimulus Programs Taking Shape
The federal government is moving ahead with implementation of various provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In recent weeks, federal agencies have announced hundreds of millions of dollars in grant opportunities and have laid out application procedures.
Technology Incentives Not So Stimulating for Dentists
Dentists are among the “eligible professionals” in line for federal stimulus money for using electronic health records, but some dental advocates are worried oral health may get short shrift in the current push toward digital record keeping.
State Auditor Criticizes California Agencies’ Handling of Health IT
A California state auditor report criticizing two state health agencies’ management of information technology was triggered by union complaints, but the report also illustrates larger issues involving paper-based bureaucracies moving slowly and somewhat clumsily into the digital era.
Health Care Provisions in Federal Stimulus Come Into Focus
Six months after the arrival of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, several health care efforts detailed in the federal stimulus package are taking shape as various federal agencies take incremental steps toward new public goals.
Collaborative Joins Race To Oversee California’s Health IT Evolution
Two entries have emerged in a race that has yet to be officially declared or described but is widely anticipated. The winner could become California’s lead organization administering billions of dollars in stimulus funds for health IT.