Healthcare IT News - July 2008 - (Page 4)

Healthcare IT News ■ July 2008 industry news www.HealthcareITNews.com By Fred BazzolI, Contributing Editor ALEXAnDriA, VA Rxhub, SureScripts combine to give eRx a boost the nation’s three largest Initially, the new pharmacy benefits manorganization will be ➔ tHe news: Two e-prescribing groups agers, CVS Caremark jointly managed by J.P. merge. Corp., Express Scripts, Little, the acting CEO In c . a n d Me d c o of RxHub, and Rick ➔ wHAt it meAns: Increased uptake, Health Solutions, Inc. Ratliff, who is the actimproved patient Surescripts was formed ing CEO of Surescripts. safety. that same year by the The combined orgaNational Association nization’s board has hired Spencer Stewart to conduct of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists a search to select a CEO. RxHub was founded in 2001 by Association. – In a move expected to give a major boost to the interconnectivity needed to accelerate the adoption of electronic prescribing, the two networks formed to support electronic prescribing will merge into one network. The merger, completed on June 30, will bring together St. Paul, Minn-based RxHub and Alexandria, Va-based SureScripts. aimed at nudging physiPenetration of electronic cians to stop using paper prescribing has been slowly prescription pads. building since the formaIn 2008, the combined tion of the networks, but organization expects to adoption rates remain low. transmit 100 million elecTestimony at a meeting tronic prescription transof the American Health actions and respond to Information Community Rick Ratliff late last year pegged electronic more than 70 million requests by prescribing adoption rates at less physicians. ■ than 20 percent, and government More at HealthcareITnews.com initiatives announced this year are ●Connect: PreSCrIBe 0708 e aHIP Continued from page 3 the lack of affordability and accessibility of healthcare created by the healthcare insurance industry. Dan Hodges, chairman of Health Care for All California, one of the event’s organizers, said that the current system is bankrupting families and can’t control cost nor ensure quality. W h i l e Fr i s t , B r e a u x a n d Thompson all dismissed the concept of single payer or universal coverage, demonstrators, including members of the California Nurses Association and Physicians for a National Health Program, showed support for Calif. State Sen. Sheila Kuehl’s (D-Santa Monica) SB840, the California Universal Healthcare Act, and U.S. Rep. John Conyers’ (D-Mich.) HR 676, Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. ■ More at HealthcareITnews.com e Connect: aHIP 0708 ● ManoS Continued from page 3 Technology, she conceded, “privacy is a battle zone.” But, she said she is glad to see the issue pack more heat, because it is raising awareness and increasing dialogue on the subject. It seems others have the same idea, to get into the fray and start voicing opinions more loudly. The Electronic Health Record Vendors Association recently released a white paper on privacy to increase dialogue, leaders of the organization said. EHRVA said, “The fact is that in many ways, the further adoption of electronic health records and healthcare IT, in coordination with current laws, increases the privacy and security of personal health information over the current paper-based system.” EHRVA said public and private initiatives are already in place to deal with gaps in privacy controls. The voices on privacy are getting louder and more distinct. It is a battle zone, indeed. But from what I can see, the intended mutual goal of safer and better healthcare never waivers. How that will be achieved and how patients will be best served remains to be seen. ■ More at HealthcareITnews.com e Connect: MaNoS 0708 ● e ● Connect: eNovateIt 0708 http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://HealthcareITnews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9507 http://HealthcareITnews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9502 http://www.enovateit.com http://HealthcareITnews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9504 http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=9522

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare IT News - July 2008

Healthcare IT News - July 2008 Contents IT’s Financial Link eRx Power SOA Q&A Bent on Wireless Digital Switch IT Legacy Change Agent Panasonic 'Book' Taking a Shift Computer Types

Healthcare IT News - July 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.