According to David Cutler, Professor of Applied Economics, Department of Economics and Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, speaking at the World Healthcare Innovation Technology Conference, said "spending can be cut by 20-30% with improved outcomes. However, e have to make healthcare more of a market, by using more health IT, and paying for quality to produce better outcomes. Costs could even be more contained if the personal health planning industry which is really a cousin of the financial planning industry were further developed. Savings would also be realized, if we used health IT to help care coordinators, and we need to develop the post trial evaluation industry to find out what works and what doesn’t." more»

World Congress, the leading producer of global healthcare forums such as the The World Healthcare Congress and Leadership Summit Series, announced today that the European project – PIPS (Personalized Information Platform for Life and Health Services) was unveiled today at the 2nd World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress (WHITC), in Washington, D.C. more»

Carolyn Clancy, M.D., Director, AHRQ, speaking at the 2 nd World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress said that AHRQ plans to announce $24 million to study how to use health IT to improve patient safety and the quality of care in ambulatory settings. One of the major goals for the funding will be able to gauge the effectiveness of EHR systems in settings where the majority of healthcare occurs. more»

With Democrats winning control of the U.S. House of Representatives this week, and likely to take control of the Senate with one seat still undecided, significant changes could be in store for health care policy and other benefit issues that could affect businesses across the country. more»

The perfect pill is of little use if a patient does not remember to take it or takes the wrong dose. That is why pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca, which has brought us blockbuster drugs such as Crestor for high cholesterol and Nexium for acid reflex, are turning their attention to making sure that patients use their drugs properly. "Any benefits you make in the lab don't benefit patients, if other issues are not addressed," said Tony Zook, company's CEO, speaking at The World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress last week in Washington, D.C. more»

World Health Congress Report: Technologies Put Healthcare in the Hands of Patients: "Patients need to take more active control of their healthcare. This message was a recurring theme of presentations at The World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress, held from November 1-3 in Washington, D.C. Speaking on the last day of the three-day conference, David Lansky, Ph.D., executive director of the Personal Health Technology Initiative at the Markle Foundation, discuss the growing support for electronic personal health records. In theory these records, which come in many flavors, could make healthcare more efficient and safer." more»

Acting CMS Administrator Leslie Norwalk on Wednesday in a keynote speech to the World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress said that without the enactment of legislation to promote health care information technology, CMS "might have to help forward health IT on a regulatory basis," CQ HealthBeat reports. more»

The 2nd Annual World Health Care Innovation and Technology Congress (WHITC) concluded today bringing providers, payers, and solutions companies together to share their experiences, vision and commitment to health care issues. more»

Although many physicians are wary of pay-for-performance programs, regional health information organizations could play an important role in overcoming the barriers standing in the way of establishing such programs, speakers at the World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress in Washington, D.C., said on Thursday. more»

World Congress, the leading producer of global healthcare forums such as the The World Healthcare Congress and Leadership Summit Series, announced today that the European project PIPS (Personalized Information Platform for Life and Health Services) was unveiled today at the 2nd World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress (WHITC), in Washington, D.C. more»

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has developed a draft guide for disease and condition registries that are standalone data collections that follow the outcomes of affected individuals over time. The agency of the Health and Human Services Department seeks public comment on the draft. more»

Acting CMS Administrator Leslie Norwalk on Wednesday in a keynote speech to the World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress said that without the enactment of legislation to promote health care information technology, CMS "might have to help forward health IT on a regulatory basis," CQ HealthBeat reports. more»

If you've been longing for the day when you could receive your prescription via email, print it out from home or the office, and get it filled shortly thereafter, then hold tight - that day might soon be coming. Continua Health Alliance, a coalition that promotes interoperable personal health and medical devices, is gathering benefit managers from its member organizations to test e-health initiatives and create telehealth networks. more»

Our goal is to provide better quality health care for Medicare beneficiaries at a lower cost and healthcare information technology (IT) systems are going to help us get there; it is one of my top priorities," Leslie V. Norwalk, Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said today in a keynote speech at the World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress (WHITC). more»

Our goal is to provide better quality health care for Medicare beneficiaries at a lower cost and healthcare information technology (IT) systems are going to help us get there; it is one of my top priorities," Leslie V. Norwalk, Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said today in a keynote speech at the World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress (WHITC). more»

The prospect of obtaining disease registries from electronic health records is an enticing one, two speakers at a health technology conference said today. more»

The United Kingdom’s citizens are healthier than those in the United States, it spends half as much money on healthcare than America does, and Great Britain now appears to have left its former pesky colony in the dust when it comes to pay for performance. more»

A sea change in the race to compete for business in a growing health care information technology market was signaled with the release of a first round of national software vendor certifications by the federally funded Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). more»