An innovative program that cut cardiac deaths by 73 percent by linking coronary artery disease patients and teams of pharmacists, nurses, primary care doctors, and cardiologists with an electronic health record also kept the patients healthy two years after they left the program by keeping them in touch with their care givers electronically, according to a randomized study by Kaiser Permanente published in The American Journal of Managed Care this month.

Specialty care physicians can improve the health of high-risk patients by reviewing electronic health records and proactively providing e-consultations and treatment plan recommendations with primary care physicians, according to a Kaiser Permanente paper published online in the British Medical Journal.

The Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) today released its position on the importance of privacy and security in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Use of electronic health records (EHRs) may help reduce paid malpractice settlements for physicians, according to a new study. The study, which appeared in the November 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, showed a trend toward lower paid malpractice claims for physicians who are active users of EHR technology.

Health care professionals today need systems that consolidate information and simplify its transmission: research and clinical knowledge are rapidly expanding, treatments are increasingly complex, most patients are seen by multiple caregivers, and the aging United States population will soon need care for chronic illnesses over long time periods.

An early-release NEJM study is getting some much-needed airplay in mainstream media. About time they caught up to what's been discussed on the medical blogs for some time now.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) is the fisrt health insurance company to work with Google Health, and this cooperation will enable BCBSMA members to store and organize their personal health data in private online health database.

Electronic health records' pilot program will allow voluntary data exchange from Kaiser Permanente’s market-leading personal health record to Microsoft HealthVault.

Health care may be the fastest growing industry, but it has been slow to adopt the use of technology. While orders at fast food chains are now entirely automated, most physician offices and hospitals still maintain their records on paper.

Using the Electronic Health Record to actively engage diabetes patients in their own care results in improved blood sugar and cholesterol levels, better vaccination compliance and increased tobacco cessation rates, according to a new Geisinger study.

Use of medications that are linked to increased risk of falls in the elderly can be reduced through careful review of patient files in the Electronic Health Record, new Geisinger research shows.

Eighteen months after implementing a full-featured electronic health record (EHR) in their practice, four internists used the system to measure and improve their mammography rate (Improving Patient Care, p. 549).