FDA announced that the final rule for the Unique Device Identification (UDI) system means that once the UDI system is implemented, there will be a consistent way to identify medical devices and facilitate more accurate reporting, reviewing, and analyzing of postmarket device data. This means that there will be a standard way to document device use in EHRs, clinical information systems, claim data sources, and registries. (more…)
VA Awards Contracts
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that a new initiative called “Patient-Centered Community Care” (PCCC) will provide greater access to quality healthcare. Under PCCC, VA medical centers will be able to purchase non-VA medical care for veterans through contracted medical providers when they cannot readily provide the needed care due to geographic inaccessibility or limited capacity. (more…)
$114M Approved for Research
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCOR) Board of Governors has approved 71 awards totaling more than $114 million over three years to fund comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research (CER). This is the first time that studies specifically targeting improvement of research methods have been awarded PCORI funding. (more…)
Studying Long Term TBI Effects
RTI International has joined a Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Consortium to better understand the long-term effects of mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or concussions that may be affecting U.S military personnel and veterans. (more…)
Update on Telehealth &Telemedicine
The Capitol Hill briefing “Telehealth and Telemedicine: Adopting New Tools of the Trade” sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and Wellpoint discussed how effectively telehealth and telemedicine is advancing to meet healthcare needs. Ed Howard of the Alliance said, “Efforts to promote telehealth and telemedicine could help the millions of people currently projected to obtain health insurance coverage. (more…)
Addressing Mental Health Care
In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided almost $20 billion in incentive funds for health information technology. However, an important group of healthcare providers were excluded from these incentives such as behavioral health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment professionals and facilities. (more…)
Monitoring Devices on the Rise
Effective monitoring of a fetus may require continuous assessment that is commonly performed using electronic technology. However, the escalation of the frequency of normal births by C-section has called into question the validity of using present monitoring techniques to identify the fetus at risk. (more…)