New Today, March 31, 2008

Smartphone Computing Moving Into Docs' Offices

Mar. 31--More and more doctors are using smartphones -- essentially PDAs that can make phone calls -- in their daily lives, yet few of them are integrating the devices into their clinical practice. More…

Study: Older Adults Want Health I.T.

Mar. 28--Most older adults are willing to use information technology to help improve their care, but they are concerned about the cost of doing so, according to a recent study commissioned by the Blue Shield of California Foundation, San Francisco. The Healthy @ Home study, which was conducted by AARP … More…

Telemedicine has a global reach

Mar. 30--Dr. Michael Davis, sitting at what looks like a helm on the bridge of a starship, places a pair of headphones over his ears. On the flat-panel screen in front of him, a nurse presses the end of a stethoscope against a prison inmate’s chest. Loud and clear, the drumming rhythm of his heart pulses across the network, covering the 70 miles between Richmond and Galveston in, literally, a heartbeat. More…

Governor Signs Executive Order Implementing IT for Prescription for PA

Mar. 30--Gov. Edward Rendell signed an executive order last week creating the Pennsylvania Health Information Exchange, which is a framework that will give health care providers improved access to clinical data and lead to safer and more efficient patient-centered care. The initiative is part of the governor's Prescription for Pennsylvania health care reform plan. More…