By Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star http://www.usatoday.com When Loy Assell or members of her family want to see their doctor, they can get in within hours. If they need to cancel an appointment at the last minute, they can easily reschedule. The physician, Dr. Cynthia Kizer of Olio Road Family Care, and her colleagues keep […]

http://www.eurekalert.org Contact: Charles Casey University of California – Davis – Health System Apart from a more complicated medical case, what makes different physicians spend different amounts of time with their patients” Researchers at UC Davis have identified several key doctor- and practice-specific characteristics that affect the length of a patient’s medical appointment, and ultimately with […]

Pediatrician won’t accept insurance; plans to offer exams for monthly fee MARY LANE GALLAGHER THE BELLINGHAM HERALD When Dr. Daniel Kowals set up his pediatric practice in downtown Bellingham, he threw the traditional medical payment structure out the window. Kowals won’t bill insurance companies for his patients’ appointments. Instead he’ll charge patients at the time […]

Http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com hicago dermatologist Candace Thrash isn’t a techie, but she does have her own interactive Web site for patients, something just half the nation’s physicians can say. On it, you can schedule or cancel an appointment, refill a prescription and print those tedious patient-history forms, which can be filled out at your leisure in Starbucks. […]

By Mark Hachman http://www.pcmag.com At a gathering of healthcare providers in Washington D.C on Thursday morning, Microsoft is expected to launch HealthVault, an online repository where users can store health-related information. As the name suggests, the HealthVault site is designed to be an online, encrypted vault, where U.S. users can store and manage their health […]

http://www.modernhealthcare.com In response to Bill Bysinger’s letter, I would very much like to know which electronic medical record technology has been shown to be both cost-effective and easily adoptable by primary-care physicians in solo and small-group practices. I have explored many and have yet to find one with a short learning curve if it truly […]

http://electronic-medical-record.blogspot.com/ A new research study by Purkinje, a healthcare technology and services firm, finds that three out of four (75%) Americans would prefer to have their prescription(s) filled in their doctor’s office instead of a retail pharmacy if given the choice. The research was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of Purkinje. The study […]

By: Joseph Conn / HITS staff writer http://www.modernhealthcare.com When it comes to electronic health-record system adoption, osteopathic physicians say cost is a key barrier. Practice size is a determinant in whether the systems are purchased and used, and penetration rates are likely to be quite low, perhaps still in single digits, according to a study […]

By Judith Graham | Tribune staff reporter http://www.chicagotribune.com The doctor walked into the hospital room with a discomforting mission. He was there to admit a medical mistake and apologize to his patient, a woman with breast cancer. The staff had given her the same injection twice by accident, causing her white cell count to soar, […]