I remember back when my daughter was born, getting a card that gave me permission to let my regular work go to seed because there was a new baby in the house--not that I really care what anyone thinks of that dust bunny collection behind the toilet anyway, but there was just something reassuring about having society's okay to be lazy for a window of time. I guess I'm claiming that right again because I once again ...

Having said that, of course, you'll need to check them out for yourself ...

For the past few weeks, I've had Michael Jackson's "Somebody's Watching Me" stuck in my head. I blame Geico for making it the theme song for its ubiquitous ad campaign. (Seriously, that bug-eyed bundle of money is everywhere.)

But today, the ditty popped into my head for good reason.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston is launching a study that will let 25,000-35,000 patients ...

One of the consequences of the recent economic downturn has been to help us as Americans do some reprioritization, something that for many of us -- let's be honest -- was long overdue. I've lost track of how many people I know personally or have heard of through personal acquaintances who have had to make sometimes drastic lifestyle adjustments ...

Based on the findings, we can conclude the following: You're busy ...

I suppose there is no real mystery in why I almost killed my computer. After a painful $300 for a new power supply, I vowed to mend my ways and not leave the poor dear up and running endlessly--yet here it hums since I got it back home. The fact that I do this has always been a source of consternation to my kids--though not as much as the fact that I also tend to leave my browser going with a couple dozen tabs open ...

During an online "Town Call" yesterday, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) revealed its new strategy for certifying EHRs that meet "meaningful use" requirements under the stimulus act. Speaking to open source developers and vendors (though about half the audience admitted to being outside the open source community), Mark Leavitt, MD, PhD, chairman of CCHIT, outlined changes ...

The $19 billion question has been answered--sort of. Earlier today, the Department of Health and Human Services announced its preliminary definition of "meaningful use," a requirement providers must meet to earn EHR incentive payments.

Released by the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, the recommendations include a progression of goals, objectives and measures for 2011, 2013 and 2015. Criteria ...

MedQuist/AHDI Settlement Update

According to the AHDI website, the free program offerings for eligible members of the MedQuist settlement class are anticipated to become available in mid-July 2009.  Eligible participants will receive ...

For years I have been involved in sports - basketball, baseball, soccer, ice hockey, lacrosse, track, cross country marathon running. For those of you with attention to detail, or if you know me, you would realize I just said "involved in" these sports....as a spectator, manager, or carpooler, ...

As an online instructor, ...

Rhonda Wong-Fernandez was sent ...

That line from Steve Martin's book, Cruel Shoes--where he thought it would be clever, if he ever had a child, to teach him the wrong words to everything so that when he went to school, no one would understand what he was talking about--used to be hysterical to me. . . but that was before speech "recognition." I have ...

We're not alone. From our northern ...

I have been hesitant to join any of the social networking sites because I am ...

Medicare rules are tough to follow, even for professionals immersed in the world of coding, compliance and reimbursement. But if providers are struggling to monitor changes and understand the if-thens of Medicare policy, imagine the brain cramps lawmakers must suffer when they bone up on rules before making a (semi)informed decision on Medicare reform. With limited knowledge of the system, should lawmakers be entrusted ...

The last sessions are winding down at NCRA in New Orleans, and today was filled with learning and laughs. In the morning, attendees listened to sessions on advocacy, the importance of CTRs and a plethora of advanced abstracting topics culled from recent NCRA Webinars.

Later, registrars gathered for lunch and laughs at the awards ceremony. Carol Hahn Johnson, BS, CTR, was honored with the distinguished member ...

This week from June 2-4, AHDI/MTIA members are participating in the fourth annual Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. As we are all aware, health care documentation is rapidly evolving and is intersecting with government policy. It is important that we have a voice in the legislation of issues related to successful EHR/EMR deployment, functionality, security, patient safety, as well as other legislation such as funding ...