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Health Information Technology

Public Health
commentary
Tech Assets Might Help Make Public Health Data More Equity-Centered
Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung, Christopher Nelson, Tara Laila Blagg
Sep 9, 2021
Inside Sources
The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified broad societal inequities and trained a spotlight on the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. public health system. What would more equity-centered, tech-engaged public health data look like?
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Health Care Payment Approaches
commentary
Fintech's Role in Reducing Disparities and Financial Barriers to Health Care Access
Sam Alom, Sonja Marjanovic @SonjaCambs
Jul 26, 2021
The RAND Blog
Given the growing pressures on health care systems globally and the need for innovative approaches to financing health care, the time may be ripe to develop a robust evidence base and share learning on fintech-enabled approaches that could support universal health coverage agendas and healthier and more stable societies.
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Racial Equity
blog
Equity in Research, North Korean Instability, Traffic Stops: RAND Weekly Recap
Jul 9, 2021
This weekly recap focuses on how RAND applies an equity lens to research, instability in North Korea, what police think about traffic stops, and more.
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Mental Health Treatment
commentary
How COVID-19 Lessons Can Transform U.S. Mental Health Care
Ryan K. McBain
Jun 2, 2021
The Hill
It would be a powerful conclusion to the pandemic if Americans reimagined a health system that was resilient against future threats, including the resulting psychological trauma. Policymakers have the opportunity now to cut short the pandemic's long tail of mental illness by taking decisive action.
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Telemedicine
commentary
No Patient Left Behind: Considering Equitable Distribution of Telehealth
Rama A. Salhi, Mahshid Abir, Bisan A. Salhi
Apr 20, 2021
Health Affairs Blog
The pandemic has revealed telemedicine's potential to improve health care delivery and access. Telemedicine could help reach patients who would normally be excluded or alienated by the traditional structure of the health system.
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Vaccination
blog
Game Theory to Help the Vaccine Rollout, Abraham Accords, Telehealth: RAND Weekly Recap
Mar 19, 2021
This weekly recap focuses on how game theory can help the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, potential economic benefits of the Abraham Accords, telemedicine use during the pandemic, and more.
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Telemedicine
commentary
The Doctor Will Call Me Maybe: The Uncertain Future of Audio-Only Visits and Why We Need Them to Address Disparities
Lori Uscher-Pines, Maggie Jones, Jessica L. Sousa, Zachary Predmore, Allison J. Ober
Mar 12, 2021
Health Affairs
Audio-only health care visits have been instrumental in maintaining access to care during the pandemic. Despite this, coverage for audio-only visits is likely temporary. Devaluing and prematurely casting off a key telemedicine modality could mean the difference between a needed doctor visit and no visit at all.
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Employment and Unemployment
blog
Unemployment Insurance, Domestic Extremists, Housing Insecurity: RAND Weekly Recap
Feb 5, 2021
This weekly recap focuses on what the pandemic has revealed about America's unemployment system, why stopping domestic extremism will be difficult, how housing insecurity may affect sleep, and more.
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Domestic Terrorism
blog
Political Violence, COVID-19 Vaccine Questions, Mental Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap
Jan 15, 2021
This weekly recap focuses on why we need to brace for more political violence after the Capitol attack, COVID-19 vaccine questions and answers, how to reform the U.S. mental health system, and more.
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Telemedicine
commentary
Patients Log On to See Their Own Doctors During the Pandemic
Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer, Joshua Breslau @JoshuaBreslau
Jan 7, 2021
The RAND Blog
Telehealth use has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Can this form of high-quality, low-cost care be maintained over the long term? As discussion of post-pandemic policies begins, lessons from patients' use of telehealth will provide valuable guidance.
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Health Care Quality Measurement
commentary
What Influences Quality Improvement Processes in Health Care?
Gemma-Claire Ali, Emily Ryen Gloinson, Sonja Marjanovic @SonjaCambs
Nov 10, 2020
The RAND Blog
Periods of rapid change offer both opportunities and challenges for health care quality improvement. Understanding the building blocks that need to be in place to support improvement processes may help those seeking to embed improvement capabilities and capacity into their organisations, both as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
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Mental Health Treatment
commentary
College Students Need Mental Health Support
Lisa Sontag-Padilla
Oct 12, 2020
The RAND Blog
Rising mental health problems in the United States have long made health advocates and providers worried about the need for additional support for struggling college students. The pandemic has only exacerbated this concern.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
The Evidence on Kids and COVID-19, China's Use of Big Data, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap
Sep 4, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on what we know (and what we don't) about kids and COVID-19, how China is using big data, the future of telemedicine, and more.
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Telemedicine
essay
What Telemedicine Needs to Succeed Beyond COVID-19
Sep 2, 2020
Virtual doctor visits have become part of the new normal. Since the first COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, Medicare and other payers have relaxed their rules to make it easier for patients to connect to care. But without permanent policy changes, physicians may not continue telemedicine services.
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Health Information Privacy
commentary
Mobile Health Surveillance Is Here to Stay, So How Do We Protect Privacy?
Benjamin Boudreaux
Aug 20, 2020
Inside Sources
Mobile phone surveillance can augment public health interventions to manage COVID-19 and might help countries prepare for the next outbreak. But these programs collect sensitive health and behavior data. That raises significant risks to personal privacy and civil liberties.
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Democracy
blog
Summer Reading List for Congress
Aug 18, 2020
During the August recess Hill staff should have an opportunity to step back from the fast pace of votes and hearing preparation to examine priorities for the fall and beyond. This list of must-read research and commentary covers some policy issues they will likely be addressing after the break.
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Telemedicine
commentary
Moving on from Telehealth-by-Desperation: What Will Make Telehealth Stick
Lori Uscher-Pines
Aug 18, 2020
Health Affairs Blog
During the COVID-19 pandemic telehealth has helped to maintain continuity of care for millions of Americans, preserve personal protective equipment, and facilitate social distancing. But that does not mean that telehealth will be embraced by patients and providers in the long run.
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China
blog
China in 2050, Using Mobile Tools to Track COVID-19, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap
Jul 31, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on the future of U.S.-China competition, privacy concerns surrounding mobile tools used to track COVID-19, how telemedicine can help patients access specialized care, and more.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
A Message from Our President and CEO, America's Wealth Gap, Disinformation: RAND Weekly Recap
Jun 5, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on doing more to address systemic inequalities and structural racism, paying the bills during COVID-19, America's growing wealth gap, and more.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
What Happens When States Reopen, Truth Decay, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap
May 22, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on the health and economic consequences of states reopening, the dangers of Truth Decay during the coronavirus crisis, helping refugees, and more.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
Experts Discuss COVID-19: RAND Weekly Recap
Mar 20, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on COVID-19, how the United States is responding to the coronavirus outbreak, the spread of misinformation during this time, and more.
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Telemedicine
commentary
Coronavirus, Telemedicine, and Dustbusters
Ateev Mehrotra, Lori Uscher-Pines
Mar 16, 2020
The RAND Blog
Telemedicine has been with us for decades. And yet it hasn't transformed health care in the way that ATMs have transformed banking or cordless vacuums have transformed household cleaning. But the coronavirus pandemic could forever change how telemedicine is used.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
q&a
Coronavirus Outbreak Intensifies: Q&A with RAND Experts
Mar 5, 2020
Cases of the coronavirus have now spread to several dozens of countries, infecting thousands and thousands of people across the globe. With concerns about the disease rising, we asked a group of RAND researchers to answer a wide range of questions about the crisis.
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Electronic Medical Records
commentary
How Smartphone Apps Could Help Keep Health Records Accurate
Ben Moscovitch, Robert S. Rudin @rsrudin
Oct 4, 2018
TechCrunch
Electronic health records have helped streamline record keeping but providers aren't always able to reliably pull together records for the same patient from different hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices. The growing use of smartphones offers a promising opportunity to improve record matching.
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Electronic Medical Records
commentary
A 'Learning System' in Behavioral Health Can Help in Sharing Best Practices, Innovations
Bradley D. Stein @BradleyDStein
May 30, 2017
Modern Healthcare
Leveraging technological advances to make better use of the best available data could help rein in healthcare costs and improve both quality and safety. This makes sense whether the healthcare being delivered is physical or behavioral.
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Electronic Pharmaceutical Prescriptions
commentary
Responsible e-Prescribing Needs e-Discontinuation
Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer, Adam J. Rose
Feb 7, 2017
The Journal of the American Medical Association
Implementation of electronic prescribing has been a big success in health information technology. But most e-prescribing systems don't allow electronic cancellation of orders. Adding this feature could help reduce medication errors.
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Health Information Technology Interoperability
commentary
Toward a Learning Behavioral Health Care System
Bradley D. Stein @BradleyDStein
Dec 20, 2016
Inside Sources
New technologies for capturing and sharing data have begun to transform the way providers practice medicine in the United States. Expanding these technologies to behavioral health care could enhance the delivery of services and improve outcomes for millions of Americans.
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Telemedicine
commentary
Telehealth Alone Won't Increase Health Care Access for the Underserved
Lori Uscher-Pines, Ateev Mehrotra
Dec 16, 2016
Health Affairs Blog
Telehealth can bring care into communities that have limited access to providers or facilities. But it must be integrated into a well-functioning system that can address the added needs that telehealth generates.
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Emerging Technologies
blog
The Price of Personalized Health Care
Nov 13, 2016
Medical care in the United States is entering an era where technology can give patients more control over their care and let them take control of their health data.
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Health Information Privacy
commentary
Privacy Preferences for Healthcare Records and Information Across Europe
Catherine L. Saunders, Sunil Patil
May 11, 2016
Statistics Views
The general public has a more nuanced preference for the privacy of electronic health records than previously thought. Survey respondents said that they would not be averse to individuals involved in the health and rescue professions having access to their basic health information.
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Electronic Medical Records
commentary
Ransomware Hackers Are Coming for Your Health Records
Lillian Ablon, Mark W. Friedberg
Apr 11, 2016
Newsweek
Cyber criminals may be preying on hospitals because cyber protection measures likely have not kept pace with electronic data collection and because hospitals typically do not have backup systems and databases in place, even though such attacks can strain health care systems and potentially put patients' lives at risk.
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Physicians
commentary
Relationships Between Physician Professional Satisfaction and Patient Safety
Mark W. Friedberg
Feb 23, 2016
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Perspectives on Safety
Health system leaders should view regular and detailed assessment of physician professional satisfaction as an invaluable early warning system for potential threats to quality and safety. But simply surveying doctors on their overall levels of job satisfaction isn't enough.
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Electronic Medical Records
commentary
Electronic Health Records: Yesterday's Ebola and Today's Zika
Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer
Feb 18, 2016
The Health Care Blog
Electronic health records in U.S. hospitals are not yet prompting for screening questions related to Zika virus. Why? The existing system is too slow to respond and when it does, it finds itself chasing the past.
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Health Information Privacy
commentary
A Unique Identifier Could Protect Patient Privacy
Michael D. Greenberg
Feb 3, 2016
STAT
The policy debate about unique patient identifier numbers should determine the best approach for reconciling two goals: optimizing the privacy and security of health information and making record matching as close to perfect as is practical.
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Telemedicine
commentary
Paying for Telemedicine
Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer
Sep 3, 2015
The RAND Blog
Telehealth, delivering health services and information via technology, holds great promise. But more information is needed to determine what works and what doesn't.
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Health Information Technology Interoperability
commentary
The Little Exchange That Could...Transform the U.S. Health Care System
Robert S. Rudin @rsrudin, Jayme Fuglesten @JaymeFuglesten
Jan 28, 2015
The Health Care Blog
As Congress continues to think about whether and how to support the development of Health Information Exchanges, it should consider the commitment required to bring a mature statewide or national network of HIEs into practice. It should prioritize the evaluation of government-funded HIEs, so that research can help inform and foster return on investment for scarce taxpayer dollars.
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Health Care Quality Measurement
commentary
The ACA's Opportunity to Improve Care for Substance Use Disorders
Katherine E. Watkins
Jul 28, 2014
The RAND Blog
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will significantly increase coverage for the publicly funded treatment of substance use disorders. But in order to maximize the benefit to patients, families, and society, it's critical to invest in the development, validation, and use of performance measures.
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Health Information Technology
commentary
How Technology Can Help Save Health Care Dollars
Jeffrey Wasserman
May 6, 2014
InsideSources
Devising methods to stimulate patients' use of computers, smart phones, and other technology to become more engaged in their health care could usher in an era in which better health is just a click or tap away.
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Health Information Technology
commentary
Physicians' Concerns About Electronic Health Records: Implications and Steps Towards Solutions
Mark W. Friedberg, F. Jay Crosson, Michael Tutty
Mar 12, 2014
Health Affairs Blog
If practicing physicians are correct, the current state of EHR technology has introduced several impediments to providing patient care, undermining physician professional satisfaction. Many of these problems also should be of great concern to patients.
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Health Care Workforce
commentary
Is There Really a Physician Shortage?
David I. Auerbach
Dec 6, 2013
The Health Care Blog
Large coverage expansions under the ACA have reignited concerns about physician shortages. These estimates result from models that forecast future supply and demand for physicians based on past trends and current practice. While useful exercises, they do not necessarily imply that intervening to boost physician supply would be worth the investment.
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Electronic Medical Records
commentary
How Electronic Health Records Can Lead to Care Coordination
Robert S. Rudin @rsrudin
Aug 13, 2013
The RAND Blog
Inadequate care coordination is a major problem in health care delivery, but information technology is emerging as an important tool for enhancing coordination and, ultimately, improving the delivery of care, writes Robert Rudin.
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Health Information Technology
commentary
The Delayed Promise of Health-Care IT
Arthur L. Kellermann, Spencer S. Jones
Feb 26, 2013
Project Syndicate
Globally, the health IT industry should not wait to be forced by government regulators into doing a better job. Developers can boost the pace of adoption by creating more standardized systems that are easier to use, truly interoperable, and afford patients greater access to and control over their personal health data.
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Health Care Technology
blog
Could Liability Concerns Derail Clinical Decision Support?
M. Susan Ridgely, Michael D. Greenberg
Jul 6, 2012
Computerized clinical decision support (CDS) systems have been developed to enhance physician decisionmaking and reduce the incidence of avoidable medical errors. Drug-drug interaction warnings are a mainstay of CDS systems, but they give rise to a fundamental problem that limits the utility of the systems to date.
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Health Information Technology
commentary
Unraveling the IT Productivity Paradox—Lessons for Health Care
Spencer S. Jones, Paul Heaton, Robert S. Rudin @rsrudin, Eric C. Schneider
Jun 14, 2012
New England Journal of Medicine
Although health care organizations have favorable characteristics that can maximize IT's benefits, the reengineering of health care delivery is only beginning, write Spencer Jones, Paul Heaton, Robert Rudin, and Eric Schneider.
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Community Resilience
commentary
Medical Records Immune to Tornado in Joplin, Mo.
Mahshid Abir, Arthur L. Kellermann
May 23, 2012
USA Today
Across the country, electronic medical records, designed first and foremost to make health care delivery safer and more efficient, are proving valuable when disaster strikes, write Mahshid Abir and Art Kellermann.
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Measuring Health Care Costs
commentary
Do Physicians Need a 'Shopping Cart' for Health Care Services?
Robert H. Brook
Feb 22, 2012
The Journal of the American Medical Association
Providing physicians with cost data in real time automatically as a part of the electronic medical record could make them better purchasers for their patients and provide better value, writes Robert H. Brook.
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Patient Safety
commentary
Clinical Decision Support and Malpractice Risk
Michael D. Greenberg, M. Susan Ridgely
Jul 6, 2011
The Journal of the American Medical Association
From the standpoint of policy makers, the basic challenge is to ensure that liability concerns do not derail the clinical value of new CDS technology, write Michael Greenberg and M. Susan Ridgely.
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Health Information Privacy
commentary
Creating Health ID Numbers Could Improve Patient Privacy
Richard Hillestad
Oct 30, 2008
The Hill
As it considers ways to improve the efficiency and quality of U.S. health care, one issue that a new Congress should reconsider is the longstanding roadblock that has stalled efforts to create a system of unique patient identification numbers for every person in the United States, writes Richard Hillestad.
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commentary
Sharing of Health-Care Data Needs a Tuneup
Elizabeth A. McGlynn
Jun 26, 2003
Los Angeles Times
commentaries by RAND Staff: insightful commentaries on current events, published in newspapers, magazines and journals worldwide.
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