Posts Tagged: health

Patients Like Me

For over five years now, I’ve mentioned Patients Like Me in nearly all of my “digital engagement” related speeches. It is one of my favourite examples of big data used to improve actual lives. What is it? An online social network dedicated primarily to chronically ill patients. How does it work? Patients fill out theirRead… Read more »

Healthcare.gov to Undergo Network Security Test

The Department of Health and Human Services will test the federal health insurance marketplace website for network security in a simulated cybersecurity attack, Nextgov reported Monday. Aliya Sternstein writes hospitals, insurers and the HHS will try to communicate and share data with the government during the simulation test. Kevin Charest, HHS chief information security officer,Read… Read more »

Bryan Sivak Issues Call for Health IT Innovators

The Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with health information technology not-for-profit organization Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society to search for a candidate to help develop future advances in healthcare IT. HHS and HIMSS are looking for an Innovator In Residence that will work to create framework for patient data matching asRead… Read more »

Your Federal Open Season Cheat Sheet: Top 7 Questions

‘Tis the season, Federal employees. Open season, that is. We know this time of year can be something less than joyful. In fact, we know that’s true because you told us. In our survey of more than 250 federal employees, just over half of respondents said that they feel “fuzzy, but know just enough toRead… Read more »

Open Season Mayhem – 4 Must Have Insights from Benefits Expert Walt Francis

With over 200 federal health plans to choose from, it is easy to get bogged down. In fact, when it comes to Open Season, the prevailing notion is to do nothing. Feds stay with the same plan year after year, even if premiums go up and benefits change. That’s why we reached out to WaltRead… Read more »

Francis Collins: NIH Aims for Upgraded Medical Robotics

The National Institutes of Health has awarded nearly $2.4 million in funding for three robotics projects in an effort to help patients with disabilities and aid in medical procedures. NIH is participating for the second year in the National Robotics Initiative to build robots that are intended to assist visually- and physically-impaired individuals and enhanceRead… Read more »

HHS Biodefense Center Acquires Pentagon Tech

The Defense Department has supplied technologies to a national center funded by the Department of Health and Human Services that works to help defend the U.S. against diseases and threats, American Forces Press Service reported Wednesday. Cheryl Pellerin writes the HHS Texas A&M Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing aims to counter healthRead… Read more »

New Tricare Agency Opens Its Doors

The Defense Health Agency has assumed responsibility for Tricare, pharmacy benefits, medical information technology and other military-related health programs, Military Times reports. Patricia Kime writes the Pentagon started the new agency as part of a reorganization aimed to streamline operations and eliminate duplicative services. Jonathan Woodson, assistant defense secretary for health affairs, estimates the moveRead… Read more »

RFI Asks Contractors to Demo Defense EHR Tools

The Defense Department is looking to evaluate existing commercial electronic health record technologies as the agency intends to replace its old EHR systems. An Oct. 1 solicitation calls on interested contractors to demonstrate their off-the-shelf EHR systems on Oct. 21 in Washington for the department’s Health Management System Modernization program. DoD aims to replace itsRead… Read more »

Healthcare.gov – 3 Tips for Improvement with Clay Johnson

Last Tuesday the Obama Administration unveiled healthcare.gov. Affordable Care Act mandated the Department of Health and Human Services to build an online exchange, or Internet store, to let uninsured consumers compare and buy plans offered by private insurance companies. But almost immediately problems started to pop up. The website was overwhelmed by up to fiveRead… Read more »