Dear Healthcare IT Insider,
Of all the technologies used to convert a radiology department or practice to a digital state, perhaps the most disliked and resented has been the speech recognition system. Many years into commercial use, the technology still could be improved upon, although it's a far cry from what the first commercial systems imposed.
But what if its functionality included a voice stress analysis tool that could alert users when it detected signs of stress or confusion that could affect a radiologist's diagnostic performance? That's the subject of this newsletter's Insider Exclusive, available to you before the rest of the AuntMinnie.com members.
On another note, should documents be stored in a RIS or a PACS? PACS consultant Herman Oosterwijk, president of OTech, doesn't think so. He explains why in a guest column you can read here in the Healthcare IT Digital Community.
Concerns about errors in medical records -- mistakes made by both users and the IT systems being used -- have put this issue in the top 10 list of the ECRI Institute's annual report on healthcare technology hazards. International editor Eric Barnes has analyzed and summarized the report; get the details by clicking here.
What's going to happen to the meaningful use initiative if former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney wins today's U.S. presidential election? It's anyone's guess, but there have been political rumblings afloat. Influential Republican congressmen who head healthcare-related committees and subcommittees voiced their concerns to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society issued a prompt rebuttal.
But from the perspective of the U.S. Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, meaningful use is moving forward. "Waves" of draft test procedures, applicable tools, and test data files for the 2014 electronic health record certification criteria, mandated by the stage 2 final meaningful use rule, are being published. You can learn more about the guidelines by clicking here.
Were you affected by Superstorm Sandy? If so, I'd like to learn what happened -- please contact me using the link below.
