One of the biggest challenges, if not the biggest challenge, of EMRs and EHRs is ensuring that the data is secure and patient privacy honored. There will always be a camp that thinks EMRs and EHRs can never be secured and we ought not use them. That's not the reality today, so we as an industry and a society need to keep the discussion going on how we can trust electronic patient data. Read »

The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) final ruling on consumer notification of electronic health information security breaches will make individuals more receptive to using a personal health record (PHR). Or will it matter? Read »

With the recent announcement of Salesforce.com's multi-million dollar investment in Practice Fusion, which offers a free, ad-supported physician EHR, "cloud computing" has again taken center stage. More and more health care providers are choosing cloud-based EHR models, opting to let hardware installation, data storage, and application hosting be someone else's headache. Read »

You've purchased the software, installed the hardware, and booked the staff training. But before you cut the ribbon on that new EHR, you might want to ensure it's legal. One of the highly-touted benefits of EHRs is the potential to help reduce an estimated $5.8 billion in annual spending on malpractice claims. But if data-entry increases exponentially without the proper audits and reviews, interoperability could lead to inter-liability, and providers may find themselves victims of HIT negligence. Read »

Do you plan to take my medical records home with you? This might become a more popular question after the recent discovery of VA Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho's medical records. As it turns out, the records had been gathering dust at the home of Dr. Robert C. Miller, former director of Tech's Cook Counseling Center. Could this situation have been avoided with EHRs? Read »

Despite the noticeably more relaxed verbiage of the new "meaningful use" critera matrix, many believe too much is still required for stimulus eligibility. Indeed, a whopping 22 requirements must still be met by 2011. Can it be accomplished over the next 4-5 years, or are providers still being asked to do too much? Read »