Category: health records

An Outdated Tracking System Is a Key Factor in Texas’ Foster Care Shortcomings

The computer program, designed in 1996 to be a secure location for foster children’s medical and school records and histories of neglect and abuse, is older than Google — and has had far fewer updates.

How Medicare Advantage Plans Dodged Auditors and Overcharged Taxpayers by Millions

Facing rare scrutiny from federal auditors, some Medicare Advantage health plans failed to produce any records to justify their payments, government records show. The audits revealed millions of dollars in overcharges to Medicare over three years.

Blind to Problems: How VA’s Electronic Record System Shuts Out Visually Impaired Patients

Veterans Affairs’ electronic health records aren’t friendly to blind- and low-vision users, whether they’re patients or employees. It’s a microcosm of America’s health care system.

Embedded Bias: How Medical Records Sow Discrimination

Medical records can contain seemingly objective descriptions that are actually full of coded language and subtext. How does that affect care?

Big Employers Are Offering Abortion Benefits. Will the Information Stay Safe?

Work-based benefits may expand access to abortion for people who live in areas where the service is unavailable, but experts warn that claiming benefits could create a paper trail for law enforcement officials to follow.

Tech Glitches at One VA Site Raise Concerns About a Nationwide Rollout

Blurb: The more than $16 billion, decade-long effort by the Department of Veterans Affairs was designed to provide seamless electronic health records for patients from enlistment in the military past discharge.

As Coronavirus Strikes, Crucial Data In Electronic Health Records Hard To Harvest

The U.S. government spent $36 billion computerizing health records, yet they’re of limited help in the COVID-19 crisis.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Coronavirus Goes Viral

The rapidly spreading coronavirus has led to the cancellation of sporting events, conferences and travel, with Congress and President Donald Trump scrambling to catch up to the spiraling public health crisis. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has issued long-awaited rules aimed at making it easier for patients to carry copies of their medical records. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

New Federal Rules Will Let Patients Put Medical Records On Smartphones

Patients would have far more control over their health care with complete medical histories stored on their phones, proponents say.

How Fast Can A New Internet Standard For Sharing Patient Data Catch Fire?

The web-based standard FHIR — pronounced “fire” — could hasten the day when we can view our full medical histories on a smartphone screen. Tech giants are hungry for a piece of the pie, but obstacles remain.