Study: Willingness To Use PHRs Not Linked to Age, Education, Income

Age, education and income level are not accurate indicators of patients’  willingness to adopt personal health records, according to a study published in the journal Perspectives in Health Information Management, FierceHealthIT reports.

Study Details

For the study, researchers from the University of Central Florida surveyed  562 patients at a physician practice that was considering offering PHRs.

The eight-question surveys aimed to evaluate patients’ perceived ability  to:

• Access health information online;
• Understand their medical information; and
• Use their online data to make health care decisions.

Findings Related to Demographics

The study found that 74% of surveyed patients expressed willingness to use a  PHR (Hall, FierceHealthIT, 10/15). It also found that:

• Among respondents ages 56 through 70, 73% said they would use a PHR (Noblin  et al., Perspectives in Health Information  Management, Fall 2012);
• Among respondents with a high school education or less, 71% said they would  use a PHR; and
• Among respondents earning less than $20,000 annually, 75% said they would  use a PHR.

The findings do not support the idea that older, less educated and  lower-income patients would be less willing to adopt PHRs than other patients,  according to FierceHealthIT.

Findings Related to Health Literacy

However, the study did identify differences between patients who were willing  to use PHRs and those who said they would not use the tools. It found that:

• 76% of patients who were willing to use PHRs said they knew how to use the  Internet to answer health questions, compared with 48% of patients who were not  interested in PHRs;
• 72% of patients who were willing to use PHRs said they knew how to use  health information found online, compared with 41% of patients who were not  interested in PHRs; and
• 50% of patients who were willing to use PHRs said they could tell the  difference between high-quality and low-quality online health resources,  compared with 24% of patients who were not interested in PHRs  (FierceHealthIT, 10/15).

Source: iHealthBeat

Electronic Reminders Failed To Boost Cancer Screening, Study Finds

An electronic reminder system that notifies physicians when patients need  colorectal cancer tests failed to significantly increase screening rates, according  to a study published in the Journal of Clinical  Oncology, Reuters reports.

Study Details

For the study, researchers analyzed colorectal cancer screening rates at  eight Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals that deployed an electronic  reminder system called Oncology Watch in 2008. The hospitals integrated Oncology  Watch into VA’s electronic health record system to boost colorectal cancer  screening rates and improve care.

Researchers examined each hospital’s colorectal cancer screening rates two  years before and two years after the Oncology Watch system launched, and  compared those rates with 121 VA hospitals nationwide that do not have the  Oncology Watch system.

Study Findings

Researchers found that:

• In 2006, average colorectal cancer screening rates were 38% at hospitals  with the electronic reminders and 31% at hospitals without the reminders;
• In 2007, the screening rates were 32% at hospitals with the electronic  reminders and 30% at hospitals without the reminders;
• In 2009, the screening rates were 34% at hospitals with the electronic  reminders and 32% at hospitals without the reminders; and
• In 2010, the screening rates were 33% at hospitals with the electronic  reminders and 31% at hospitals without the reminders.

Accompanying Editorial

In an editorial accompanying the study, Marko Simunovic of  McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, wrote that the study findings imply that  “there doesn’t seem to be any benefit to Oncology Watch.”

However, he added that a randomized controlled trial would be necessary to  verify that the electronic reminder system offers no benefits (Seaman, Reuters, 10/12).

Source: iHealthBeat

ACOs To Spend Up to $4M for Technology, Data Requirements

In the U.S., 302 developing and planned accountable care organizations  are expected to spend a total of about $500 million on health IT systems in  their first year, according to a report by Black Book Rankings, FierceHealthIT reports (Hall, FierceHealthIT,  9/25).

For the report, Black Book surveyed 302 ACOs across 46 states in the third  quarter of 2012 (Black Book Rankings release, 9/24).

According to the report, smaller ACOs are expected to face about $1 million  in startup costs for data and technology, while larger ACOs are expected to face  about $4 million in such costs (Punke, Becker’s Hospital Review, 9/25).

Although nearly all ACOs said they actively are acquiring health IT systems,  fewer than 7% said they have a synchronized stakeholder strategy for purchasing  technology.

The report also found that:

• 88% of ACOs said they would seek advice from consultants or vendors when  selecting a health IT system;
• 39% said their technology purchasing decisions will be made before Q3 of  2013; and
• 28% said they already have basic health exchange and interoperability  strategies in place.

According to the report, more than 50% of surveyed hospitals and payers  said they expect a return on investment in health IT within two years of  operation (FierceHealthIT, 9/25).

Source: iHealthBeat

275K Facebook Users Have Posted Organ Donor Status on Website

Since May, about 275,000 U.S. residents have posted their organ donor status  on Facebook, according to data from the social networking website, NPR’s “Shots” reports (Schultz, “Shots,” NPR, 9/20).

Background on the Initiative

Four months ago, Facebook launched an initiative that aims to leverage its  network of 161 million users to more quickly match patients who are waiting for  organ transplants with possible donors.

Through the initiative, members of the social networking website can declare  themselves as organ donors under a new “Health and Wellness” section, which  includes biographical information and updates on their health. The section also  includes links to state donor registries (iHealthBeat,  5/1).

Facebook plans to expand the initiative to users in Canada and Mexico this  week.

Reaction to the Initiative

Blair Sadler — an attorney and senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare  Improvement — said the new Facebook feature “shows the enormous potential of  social media,” noting that people are more likely to be persuaded to donate by  friends and family than by activists or public health officials.

However, in a recent opinion piece published by the Hastings Center,  Sadler argued that more should be done to fully leverage the power of social  media networks.

He noted that data from Donate Life California show that 4,000 state  residents registered as organ donors in the 24 hours following Facebook’s  announcement, compared with the typical 70 registrations per day. However, the  registration rate dropped back down to its normal level by May 6.

Sadler said that social media campaigns need to continuously prompt  individuals in order to maintain continued success (“Shots,” NPR, 9/20).

Source: iHealthBeat

EHR Use Might Allow Health Care Providers To Overbill Medicare

The proliferation of electronic health record systems might be leading some  health care providers to overbill Medicare, the Center for Public Integrity reports.

Billing Details

When using EHRs while treating Medicare patients, physicians can select among  escalating payment codes for billing purposes.

For example, doctors must choose one of five payment codes for an office  visit that best reflects the amount of time spent with a patient and the  complexity of the care. The lowest-level code pays about $20, while the  highest-level code pays about $100.

Stephen Levinson — a Connecticut physician and author of a book about  medical coding — said that sometimes the system improperly raises billing  levels based on the amount of patient medical history added to the EHR.

Details of CPI Investigation

According to a recent CPI investigation, thousands of health care providers  have been billing Medicare at increasingly higher rates over the past decade,  costing taxpayers at least $11 billion in inflated fees.

The investigation found that many health care providers using EHR  systems are choosing higher-paying treatment codes to inflate their bills,  a process known as “upcoding.”

Some of the largest increases in upcoding have occurred in hospital emergency  departments, which have widely adopted EHR systems and rarely are audited by  Medicare, according to the investigation.

HHS Plans Investigation

Donald White — spokesperson for the HHS Office of the Inspector General —  has said that the issue of upcoding is “on the radar” and that the office will  be “looking into these codes and how [EHRs] may be affecting them.”

However, government officials say that they do not have a system to monitor  the hundreds of different billing and medical software packages being used  across the U.S.

Physicians’ Response

Some physicians note that EHR systems allow them to correct billing  practices that for years did not pay them enough.

Robert Tennant — a lobbyist with the Medical Group Management Association —  said, “With a paper-based system, there’s a little bit of concern from providers  that they don’t have sufficient documentation to support a particular” coding  level. However, he said that EHRs can help clinicians quickly retrieve a  patient’s history.

Tennant said, “I don’t use the term ‘upcode.’ I use ‘correct code.’ I see it  more as physicians being reimbursed more appropriately for the work that they’re  doing” (Schulte, Center for Public Integrity, 9/19).

Source: iHealthBeat

Patients Want Access to Web-Based Health Care Services, Survey Finds

Many patients want to use online health care tools, but few have access to  such services, according to a recent survey by market research firm Harris  Interactive, FierceHealthIT reports (Byers, FierceHealthIT, 9/17).

For the survey, researchers polled 2,311 U.S. adults between July 16 and July  23. They found that:

• 65% of respondents said having online access to their medical records is  “important” or “very important,” but only 17% reported having such access  (Roney, Becker’s Hospital Review, 9/13);
• 62% said having access to an online health cost estimator is “important” or  “very important,” but only 6% reported having such access (Pogorelc, MedCity News, 9/11);
• 53% said the ability to email their physician is “important” or “very  important,” but only 12% reported having email access to their doctor;
• 51% said the ability to schedule appointments online is “important” or “very  important,” but only 11% reported that their physician offered such tools; and
• 50% said the ability to pay medical bills online is “important” or “very  important,” but only 10% reported having access to such  tools (Becker’s Hospital Review, 9/13).

Source: iHealthBeat

Hospitals Use Robots, Other Technology To Boost Patient Care

Hospitals increasingly are relying on innovative new technologies to improve  patient care, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Using Robots

For example, some hospitals are using robots to enable telehealth  consultations between physicians and patients.

Paul Vespa, a neurological care specialist at the University of  California-Los Angeles, uses a robot stand-in developed by InTouch Health to  examine patients in different locations.

The robot enables Vespa to:

• Check patients’ vital signs;
• Communicate with patients;
• Keep in touch with patients’ family members; and
• Observe patients’ symptoms.

Using Other New Technologies

Other innovative technologies used by hospitals include:

• Digital assistants such as IBM’s Watson computer system, which can hold  large amounts of medical literature and provide complex health advice;
• Electronic identification tags that can track staff members’  hand-washing habits; and
• A program similar to Twitter that allows health care providers to receive  updates on patients’ health condition (Dance, Los Angeles Times,  9/13).

Source: iHealthBeat

Surgeon Turns to iPod Tool To Improve Knee Replacement Surgeries

An Illinois orthopedic surgeon has started using iPod-based technology to  improve the accuracy of knee replacement surgeries, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Departure From Traditional Surgeries

Traditional knee-replacement surgeries involve running a metal rod through  the patient’s tibia to align and secure an artificial knee.

George Branovacki — an orthopedic surgeon at Christ Medical Center in Oak  Lawn, Ill. — said he “takes the rod out of the equation” by using his iPod’s  Dash navigational software to more precisely measure and place artificial knees.  Although the iPod-based technology received FDA approval in 2011, its  manufacturer says Christ Medical Center currently is the only U.S. hospital to  use it.

How It Works

During an operation, the iPod is placed in a frame with a pistol-like handle.  It takes measurements on the patient and wirelessly relays the data to an  infrared camera a few feet away.

The camera is connected to a computer that calculates where the surgeon  should make an incision, and then the computer relays that information to the  iPod’s screen to show Branovacki whether he is on target.

According to Branovacki, the device’s “GPS-like navigation” helps prevent  small misalignments, which can have a large effect on a patient’s mobility and  pain, as well as on the life of the implant. Those misalignments are  significantly more likely when a physician must move his or her focus back and  forth between the patient and a computer, he said (Nolan, Chicago  Sun-Times, 9/10).

Source: iHealthBeat

AHIMA Unveils Tool To Help Improve Patient Understanding of PHRs

On Tuesday, the American Health Information Management Association unveiled a new tool aimed at enhancing patients’  understanding of personal health records, Healthcare IT News reports.

AHIMA posted the guide — called Understanding Your Medical Record — on its myPHR.com website, which  launched in 2006 as a resource for consumers interested in maintaining PHRs  (McCann, Healthcare IT News, 9/12).

AHIMA’s new tool provides information on:

• The distinction between PHRs, which patients manage, and electronic health  records, which are managed by health care providers;
• PHR privacy and security; and
• How PHR use can affect patient experience (Murphy, EHR Intelligence, 9/11).

AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon said, “Helping consumers understand the purpose  of a medical record and how to access their clinical information will enhance  the relationship between a patient and their doctor or health care provider”  (Healthcare IT News, 9/12).

Source: iHealthBeat

ONC Video Game Offers Training on Health Data Privacy and Security

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and the Health Resources  and Services Administration have developed a no-cost video game to offer privacy  and security training for health care providers, Modern Healthcare reports.

Officials unveiled the game during National Health IT Week, which runs from  Sept. 10 to Sept. 14.

Laura Rosas — a privacy and security professional in ONC’s Office of the  Chief Privacy Officer — said the game will be available Wednesday on ONC’s HealthIT.gov website. Rosas  said the game is geared toward medical practices that have limited experience  with health IT.

In the video game, characters act out scenarios involving health data privacy  and security. The game then prompts players to choose one of four possible  actions to address the situation (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 9/11).

Source: iHealthBeat