Friday, November 18, 2011

National electronic health records network gets closer


National electronic health records network gets closer

 @CNNMoneyTech November 18, 2011: 5:39 AM ET
An electronic health records network is becoming a reality, as the national attitude towards health IT is shifting towards acceptance.
An electronic health records network is becoming a reality, as the national attitude towards health IT is shifting towards acceptance.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The ambitious goal of setting up a nationwide, interconnected, private and secure electronic health records system isn't yet a reality -- but we're getting closer.
The 2009 Recovery Act, better known as the stimulus bill, set aside more than $20 billion for incentives to health care providers that deploy and meaningfully use certified electronic health records systems in their offices or hospitals. The first incentives are set to go out in the form of $22,000 Medicaid payments to early adopters within the next six months.
The problem with the current system is clear: Paper trails get lost, incorrect prescriptions get written, and doctors' time is wasted listening to patients explain their medical histories.Now, according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT), the agency tasked with organizing the electronic health records project, 75% of hospitals have responded to surveys saying they are planning on investing in health information exchange services. ONCHIT presented the update at a Washington conference of health IT professionals on Thursday.
The government's solution is to make processes digital and connected. If a doctor's notes are entered into an electronic record, they can be accessed -- with a patient's permission -- by another medical professional. The system will alert doctors if a dosing or prescription seems awry. Human error is reduced to near zero. And doctors can diagnose problems faster and spend time seeing more patients.

Of course, that solution has its own set of problems. The cost of implementation is certainly a large factor, but privacy, usability, collaboration methods and training are also at issue.

But ONCHIT says that the tide has turned, and the concerns have become viewed as less of a turn-off and more of a necessary hurdle to overcome.
"We used to say the problem with this marketplace is that nobody wants to pay for information exchange," Farzad Mostashari, ONCHIT's director, said at the conference. "Well, all of a sudden now there's a lot of people who want to exchange information and coordinate care because the business case is there."
More than 100,000 rural primary care providers have now committed to achieving meaningful use of a networked digital health records system. That's a significant milestone, Mostashari said, because rural providers have been viewed as the most reluctant to change.
Thanks to the nation's changing attitude, the digitized health records business is booming, and vendors are beginning to release cheaper, faster products that operate in the cloud. The systems are also becoming also easier to use: Half the electronic medical records systems on the market now come with Apple iPad apps for doctors.
As the adoption hurdles are being jumped, the implementation barriers are the next to be overcome.
"The challenge is that you can become a meaningful user by yourself, but it's a team sport," said David Blumenthal, former ONCHIT director, at the conference. "You can't share information without collaboration."

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Missed a Webinar?

Have you missed any of our recent webinars? Luckily MedCom records all of our live web demonstrations for later viewing! Click on the links below for short (less than 10 minute) demonstrations of a few of MedCom's most popular offerings!

Check them out on YouTube today!







For more information on any of these services, Email us  or call us at 215-839-6246.

Thursday, November 3, 2011




A federal judge today allowed Sprint Nextel and C Spire to continue with its lawsuit to block the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile USA.

AT&T and T-Mobile had attempted to dismiss the lawsuit. But Judge Ellen Huvelle allowed both companies to persist with their lawsuits, which claim they would be squeezed by market pressures if the consolidation were to be allowed, according to Reuters. Part of the lawsuits, however, were dismissed. The lawsuits could further complicate the deal, which already faces opposition in the form of a lawsuit from the Justice Department.
"Both Sprint and C Spire have demonstrated to the court that they would be injured if the AT&T's proposed takeover of T-Mobile were completed," Susan Haller, vice president of litigation for Sprint, said in an e-mailed statement. "By allowing Sprint and C Spire Wireless to move forward with these lawsuits, the court has ensured we receive a fair hearing."
AT&T, meanwhile, focused its attention on the part of the lawsuit that was thrown out.
"We are pleased with the ruling that dismisses the vast majority of the claims of Sprint and CellSouth," General Counsel Wayne Watts said in an e-mailed statement. "We believe the limited, minor claims they have left are entirely without merit."
Sprint and C Spire--formerly Cellular South--have argued that the merger would hurt their ability to get access to the best devices, which would hurt competition. C Spire has also claimed that the deal would hurt the roaming rates it has to pay to both carriers to allow for national coverage.
Judge Huvelle did dismiss Sprint's claim that it would be deprived of wireless spectrum needed for network deployment, and said there wasn't enough evidence to support the company's claim that it would be hurt by higher prices for backhaul services.
The Justice Department has also argued that the merger would hurt competition and raise prices for consumers, claims that AT&T has denied.
A deal between AT&T and T-Mobile would created the nation's largest wireless carrier. AT&T has also said it would help with its spectrum constraints.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Internet Explorer Desertion Continues as Usage Drops Below 50 Percent


BY MARIO AGUILA

Internet Explorer Desertion Continues as Usage Drops Below 50 Percent
Internet Explorer has long been declining in popularity, but it hit an abandonment milestone in October as its market share dropped below 50 percent for the first time in more than a decade. What browsers are reaping the benefits?
Microsoft's browser is far from dead, but the October stats are hardly favorable. Some of IE's decline can be attributed to the rapid increase in mobile browser usage—Safari rules that land. But while IE is still hovering above 50 percent of users on desktops, it's dropping fast—nearly 2 percent last month. Most of the defecting desktop users are going to Chrome, but Firefox still has an edge over Google's browser. Check out graphs above for more or head over to Ars Technica for comprehensive analysis of web usage. [Ars Technica]

Via: http://gizmodo.com/5855654/internet-explorer-desertion-continues-as-usage-drops-below-50-percent/gallery/1

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Outstanding Service Brings National Award

Outstanding Service Brings National Award

MedCom Professional Services, Inc. Wins CAM-X Award of Excellence

TOP TEN

MedCom Professional Services, Inc. of Levittown, PA has been honoured with the exclusive 2011 Award of Excellence for the fourth consecutive year. The Award is presented annually by the Canadian Call Management Association (CAM-X), the industry’s Trade Association for providers of call centre services including telephone answering and message delivery. MedCom Professional Services, Inc. was presented with the Award recently at the CAM-X 47th Annual Convention and Trade Show held at the Hyatt Regency, Montreal, QC.

Independent judges are contracted by CAM-X to evaluate message services throughout North America over a six-month period. The criteria for scoring include courtesy, response time, accuracy and overall service to their clients. If the company scores 80% or better in ALL categories, they are presented with the coveted Award of Excellence. The program is now in its 22nd year.

“Every business needs an answering service” says CAM-X president Tom Sheridan. “Participation in the CAM-X Award of Excellence program helps make for a great first impression for all callers, even when contact is made after regular business hours. A live agent simply provides a better customer service experience than automated systems or callers having to wait until the office reopens for business. The CAM-X Awards of Excellence program raises the bar for the best customer service experience possible. We congratulate MedCom Professional Services, Inc. for their achievements.”

Founded in 1964, CAM-X began as a national trade Association representing live answering services. The Canadian Call Management Association now encompasses companies across North America offering specialized and enhanced operator based services including: call centres, contact centres, inbound telemarketing (order entry), paging, voice messaging, emergency dispatch, fax, and Internet-based services, among others. Please visit www.camx.ca for more information.

Now a four-time winner, MedCom Professional Services, Inc. earned the Silver Plus Award for four consecutive years. CAM-X extends its congratulations to the staff of MedCom Professional Services, Inc. on their proven TOP TEN quality service to their customers.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Everything You Need to Know About Today’s Windows 8 News

Windows 8 news is gushing forth from Microsoft's BUILD conference up in Seattle, as the company exposes the inner workings of the latest iteration of their operating system. Here's a look at all the latest Windows 8 news we're seeing today.

(Microsoft is showing off Windows 8 on a prototype tablet, so most of the emphasis is on the more touch-friendly features of the OS.)

Metro

For Microsoft, Metro is the future. Metro is the design scheme that the Redmond megalith dreamed up for Windows Phone 7, and now it's coming to Windows 8 not just as a skin or a launch screen, but as an entire philosophy. We've seen glimpses of this UI in the past, but we weren't quite sure just how deep it would run into Windows 8.

The way Microsoft is talking, Metro style apps may not be at the core of Windows 8 just quite yet, but it seems like it's what they want for the future of their platform in terms of design. Metro is not a separate skin or layer running on top of Windows 8. Everything is handled as natively as anything else in Windows.

According to Mary Jo Foley at ZD Net, the old tools, standards and philosophies for app development are taking a back seat to this new, more immersive style of Metro apps. It's all tiles, full-screen apps, simplicity. It all makes Windows look so modern. Awesome.

Charms

In the Metro UI, the new Start Menu will be the Charms element on the right side of the screen. From there you'll be able to search, tweak settings, manage apps, share links/text/info/pics etc. This is akin to the overlay that pops up when you hit the menu key on Android devices.

Split Screen Apps

Despite the fact that the Metro UI moves away from the windowed design of yore, that doesn't mean you have to be locked into one app at any given time. The Metro UI will allow two apps to share screen space so that you can multitask without sacrificing the flattened design of Windows 8. Conceptually, it's a lot like the Twitter app for iPad, (in that app you can view your timeline while having a browser window with a link you clicked open right next to it). It's quick and efficient.

Resolution Matters

All Windows 8 devices must have a minimum resolution of at least 1024x768 pixels. Any device running on minimum requirements will only run the Metro UI, with apps one at a time. If the screen resolution is 1366x768, it will support the splitscreen apps. If the screen is a full 16:10 and at least 1366 pixels wide, you

Metro vs Pro

Windows is definitely drawing a line between Metro and Pro, defining the limits of Metro (for now, at least). While the Metro is intended for entertainment purposes and consumption of content (tablets, hello!), the Pro UI (which is much more standard looking) is for creation and work purposes. The way Microsoft is talking, they envision you using a desktop during when you're in the office (or working at least). When you're just casually screwing around on the internet, you'll use a tablet device.

NFC Power

Windows 8 will support NFC technologies, meaning that devices can either transmit or receive information. In terms of possibilities, think something along the lines of what Palm/HP showed off with the Pre 3 and the TouchPad. Tap your phone against your tablet and it could take the webpage/app/song/video that's on your device and load it on your phone.

Refresh and Reset

Viruses and malware happen. Microsoft isn't necessarily promising that Windows 8 will be virus free, but they're making it easier to wipe out corrupted system software without wiping out your apps and settings. They call this feature Refresh. There's also a quick one step feature to wipe your device and restore it to factory settings. This is Reset.

Available Tonight

You'll be able to download the Developer Preview of Windows 7 tonight. However, it won't be supported by Microsoft in any manner.

Via: http://gizmodo.com/5839790/everything-you-need-to-know-about-todays-windows-8-news-updating

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

IBM's Watson to Tackle Healthcare Next

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- IBM's Watson computer thrilled "Jeopardy" audiences in February by vanquishing two human champs in a three-day match. It's an impressive resume, and now Watson has landed a plum job.

IBM is partnering with WellPoint, a large health insurance plan provider with around 34 million subscribers, to bring Watson technology to the health care sector, the companies said Monday.

It will be the first commercial application of Watson, which is a computing system that aims to "understand" language as humans naturally speak it. IBM (IBM,Fortune 500) has been working on Watson for more than six years.

The goal is for Watson to help medical professionals diagnose and sort out treatment options for complicated health issues. Think of the system as an electronic Dr. House.

"Imagine having the ability to take in all the information around a patient's medical care -- symptoms, findings, patient interviews and diagnostic studies," Dr. Sam Nussbaum, WellPoint's (WLP, Fortune 500) chief medical officer, said in a prepared statement.

"Then, imagine using Watson analytic capabilities to consider all of the prior cases, the state-of-the-art clinical knowledge in the medical literature and clinical best practices to help a physician advance a diagnosis and guide a course of treatment," he added.

WellPoint plans to begin deploying Watson technology in small clinical pilot tests in early 2012.

Speed and natural language: Watson can sift through 200 million pages of data and provide a response in less than three seconds. But perhaps even more impressive than Watson's speed is its ability to process natural language, the way that humans speak it.

That's no easy feat for a computer. Human language is full of subtleties, irony and words with multiple meanings.

Take the "Jeopardy" example. Watson studies the questions by considering many factors, ranging from straightforward keyword matching to more complex challenges like homonyms (the bark of a tree is not the same as a dog's bark) and paraphrasing ("Big Blue" is the same thing as "IBM").

Watson is able to do this quickly thanks to software that runs on 10 refrigerator-sized racks of IBM Power7 systems. The machine is a grandkid to Deep Blue, the chess-playing IBM supercomputer that trounced world champion Garry Kasparov in 1997.

IBM said early on that health care is a field where it anticipated commercialization opportunities for Watson. Other markets IBM is eying include online self-service help desks, tourist information centers and customer hotlines.

Watson's "Jeopardy" face-off against champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, which first aired February 14-16, will be re-broadcast starting on Monday.

Via: http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/12/technology/ibm_watson_health_care/index.htm?hpt=te_bn9