Healthcare records disappoint

Researchers at Stanford and Harvard universities have concluded that electronic health records have little bearing on the quality of patient care, reports heathcareitnews.com.

A cross-sectional study released by the research team assessed outpatient healthcare in 2003 and 2004 and was based on 1.8 billion physician visits. Electronic records were used in 18% of the visits.

Of 17 quality indicators the researchers assessed, electronic health records made no difference in 14 measures. The study revealed better quality in two of the measures. These were not prescribing benzodiazepine tranquilizers for patients with depression, and avoiding routine urinalysis during general medical exams. Worse quality was found in one area, namely, prescribing statins for patients with high cholesterol.

Both Google and Microsoft, aware that a large number of Internet searches are health related, are actively attempting to build a presence in the healthcare sector, reports medindia.net.

Cambridge-based analysts Wireless Healthcare claims this will impact on both healthcare professionals and medical device manufacturers. Doctors, who are already coming to terms with informed patients who have 'googled' their symptoms, could see these same patients gaining access to their genetic profile and managing their health using an online patient record.

Wireless Healthcare believes Google's recent investment in the genetic profiling company, 23andMe, and Microsoft's purchase of the intelligent medical search company, Medstory, could lead to the emergence of services that are highly disruptive within

Innovation, reliability and accountability are three sought-after qualities in healthcare IT vendors, reports intergovworld.com.

Following a panel discussion in Toronto, Canada, hosted by the Ontario chapter of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), the peer-to-peer roundtable was titled: 'Choosing a Vendor: Picking a Partner for Stability, Business Strategy and Potential.'

Panellists noted that healthcare IT needs are very different in the private and public sectors as they have different business drivers. Panellists look for RFPs that show innovation, reliability and accountability. They said value-add from vendors can also come in the form of creative financing options or knowledge transfer.