Health Imaging & IT - January 2009 - (Page 4)

neWs UpDATe Government Watch Healthcare IT weighed for economic stimulus package Under discussion among Senate healthcare leaders is whether healthcare IT should be added to the programs that would be funded under the economic stimulus package now being crafted by aides to President-elect Barack Obama and congressional staff members. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised to have a broad economic stimulus plan ready for Obama to sign by the time he takes office Jan. 20. The package, which could inject as much as $500 billion into large public works programs, has led to a scramble to identify projects that would create jobs and spur economic growth. Healthcare officials are considering using the bill to encourage adoption of healthcare IT, the goal of several nearly successful attempts to pass healthcare IT legislation this year. 2009 iniTiATiVes pricewaterhouse highlights nine issues to confront healthcare The health industry will face a plethora of challenges in 2009, including how to deal with more underinsured, adapt to new coding methods and fund new cures in a capital-starved market, according to an annual report from the Health Research Institute at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Among the top nine health industry issues for 2009: Economic downturn will hit healthcare; hospitals must perform to get paid; and ICD-10 code set will require a major resource investment. Joint Commission issues health IT recommendations The Joint Commission has released a report offering guiding principles and actions for the hospital of the future to meet the challenges of older and sicker patients, patient safety and quality of care, economics and the work force. The report said that IT “plays a major role in improving healthcare quality and safety, and can help to support the migration of hospital-based care into the community and even the home.” The technological transformation of healthcare also invites the redefinition of the hospital. For more information on the report, visit www.jointcommission.org. Daschle accepts Obama’s invite to become hhs secretary Former Senator Tom Daschle, D-S.D., has accepted Presidentelect Barack Obama’s request to become the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Daschle is currently a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, which focuses on “healthcare policy and global economic, security and health issues.” DOE chooses Michigan for $550M isotope facility The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., to design and establish the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, a research facility to advance understanding of nuclear isotopes. The new facility—expected to take about a decade to design and build at an estimated cost of $550 million—will provide research opportunities for an international community of approximately 1,000 university and laboratory scientists, postdoctoral associates and graduate students. hiMss calls for $25B health iT investment from Obama The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) released a report outlining priorities and recommendations for the Obama administration and 111th Congress to harness IT’s power to reform healthcare and stimulate the U.S. economy. One of the requests was to invest a minimum of $25 billion in health IT to help non-governmental hospitals and physician practices adopt EMRs. Senators look to GAO to study ‘best practices’ for reducing healthcare costs Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., have asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study best practices used by states, hospitals and other countries to reduce healthcare costs and improve quality. This year, Americans will spend $2.4 trillion on healthcare, and are expected to spend $4.3 trillion by 2017, according to the senators. Over the course of the next decade, healthcare spending is projected to rise to 20 percent of the gross domestic product. Medicare’s liability alone is estimated at $36 trillion. 4 Health Imaging & IT | January 2009 STAY CONNECTED: for daily news, log onto Healthimaging.com Healthimaging.com http://www.jointcommission.org http://www.Healthimaging.com http://www.Healthimaging.com

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Health Imaging & IT - January 2009 Contents The Enterprise News Update DR Breathes New Life into Radiography Radiology in the Spotlight Educational Sessions Keynote Addresses Tech Trends on the Exhibit Floor Imaging Tools Managing Technology People & Technology Reader's Resource

Health Imaging & IT - January 2009

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