Electronic Health Records

FDA Considers Regulating Safety of Electronic Health Systems

In the past two years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it has received reports of six patient deaths and several dozen injuries linked to malfunctions in electronic health record systems. Concerns over such safety risks have prompted the agency to consider to regulating the systems for the first time.

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Latest Coverage | Electronic Medical Records

Stimulus To Push Electronic Health Records Could Widen 'Digital Divide'

A year after Congress agreed to spend billions of dollars to encourage a national switch to electronic health records, many doctors and hospitals have grown skeptical of the pace and details of the plan.

Fred Schulte8 March 2010

Experts: Safety Oversight Needed as Patient Records Go Digital

Though electronic health records may greatly improve medical care in the future, the technology poses a host of safety concerns that demand attention to protect patients from harm, witnesses told a government panel meeting in Washington on Thursday.
 
Safety issues are surfacing as the government tees up a plan to spend billions of dollars in stimulus money to help doctors and hospitals adopt the systems. Digitizing medicine is a high priority in the Obama administration’s campaign to reform health care.
 

Fred Schulte25 February 2010

FDA Considers Regulating Safety of Electronic Health Systems

Concerned about potential safety risks in health information technology, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may be moving closer to regulating the systems for the first time. 

In the past two years, the agency has received reports of six patient deaths and several dozen injuries linked to malfunctions in the systems, Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in testimony prepared for a government hearing on Thursday. 

Fred Schulte23 February 2010

Shopping for Health Software, Some Doctors Get Buyer’s Remorse

Robert Cameron wasn’t much of a technology buff, but the orthopedic surgeon knew he wanted to get rid of all the paper in his nine-physician practice in Pensacola, Fla. So he bought an electronic medical records system from a California-based company called Acermed. 

Emma Schwartz29 January 2010

As Health Files Go Digital, Patients May Spot Unpleasant Surprises

As patients begin to assert control over records that thus far have remained almost exclusively in the custody of medical providers, many issues remain to be resolved.

Fred Schulte26 January 2010

Electronic Health Records Probe Expands to Hospitals

A congressional inquiry into plans for spending billions of dollars in stimulus money on digital medical records is now questioning some of the nation’s most prestigious health care providers about possible safety flaws and other problems with the electronic systems.

Fred Schulte20 January 2010

Switch to Electronic Health Records Could Miss Federal Targets

Federal health officials said Wednesday they have cut billions of dollars from the projected cost of a program to push doctors and hospitals to use electronic medical records, suggesting their previous estimates overstated the number of health care providers likely to adopt the technology.

The goal to create a digital health record for every American in the next five years was first set under President George W. Bush. The project picked up steam in the Obama administration, which regards it as vital to controlling soaring health care costs.

Fred Schulte30 December 2009

Daschle Had Public and Private Role in Push for Digital Health Records

In the government’s campaign to bring medical care into the digital age, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has served as a key advisor to President Obama and a consultant to the health-care industry—doing both within the space of a few months.

Daschle, as Obama’s first choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services last year, was a forceful advocate for using billions of dollars in economic stimulus money to help doctors and hospitals buy electronic medical records systems.

Fred Schulte15 December 2009

SLIDESHOW: Exploring Cleveland's Model for Digital Health Records

Cleveland Clinic doctors say there is no doubt the switch to digital record-keeping has boosted the quality of care, particularly their management of chronic diseases and routine screening tests. But after nearly a decade and a $100 million investment, cost savings have not materialized and hospital officials are not certain when they will. That is consistent with some recent national studies that question whether electronic records can lead to lower medical spending.

Emma Schwartz1 December 2009

VIDEO: How the Cleveland Clinic Went Digital

The Cleveland Clinic has been a leader in developing a digital medical record system. Now the Obama administration wants to replicate this model in hospitals across the country with an investment of $45 billion in stimulus funds. But Cleveland may not be an easy model to follow.» Related Story: Can Cleveland Clinic Be a Model for Digital Medicine?

 

Emma Schwartz1 December 2009

About This Investigation
Electronic Health Records

The government is set to spend billions on electronic health records systems. As doctors and hospitals make the switch, we delve into questions of privacy, cost-effectiveness and oversight. 

Editor's Note: This coverage is supported by the Markle Foundation. Learn more.

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