Technology in healthcare is one of those markets that simply won't be denied. As long as people want to live longer and healthier lives, there will always be a demand for healthcare technology. That means a lot of new products and services emerge in this field, and this week proved no exception. With the weekend now at our doorstep, it's a good time to consider the wider impact of the week that was, and we'll do just that by looking back at the week with our Week in Review coverage.
First, the Affordable Care Act has in turn launched several insurance marketplaces, but problems with these Web-based ventures have proven daunting. Reports suggest here, however, that the government is rapidly working to iron out all the kinks included, as traffic was higher than expected, and reports began to emerge of people unable to sign up due to difficulties in the various websites. Reports from Web host Media Temple Inc. suggests that perhaps the biggest problems were in the code itself, as well as a lack of specific Web-efficiency methods in use.
Next, Kronos Incorporated came out with the new ACA Estimator, a tool that will better allow employers to see just how the ACA's Employer Shared Responsibility provisions will impact said employers. The ACA Estimator tool takes certain basic facts about the business in question and gives rough cost estimates for several different strategies for complying with the plan, allowing companies to figure out how best to proceed under the new regulations.
Nuance Communications stepped in with the next bit of news around the new Clinic 360 | Transcription service, an outsourced transcription service that allows for easy transcription of patient records. The service boasts several separate components, including InSync, allowing for dictation to be uploaded from digital recorders directly to transcription servers, and InTouch, which allows for similar processes to happen over the phone. Said transcriptions can then be added to a patient's electronic health record (EHR) for later consultation.
Then, news emerged from Waltham, Massachusetts, as its Village Fertility Pharmacy turned to Zappix for its new mobile interactive voice response (IVR) system as a way to step up its line of offerings to customers. With the Zappix solution in place, customers now have a new method to get in touch with Village Fertility Pharmacy via mobile device, opening up an array of functions like registering prescriptions, placing orders, and refilling said prescriptions, as well as gaining access to new contact options like Twitter and Facebook.
Finally, word emerged about the physician response to the electronic health record (EHR) system. While many physicians found it a barrier to progress—many called it one of the biggest obstacles in providing quality care—an oddly large proportion of said physicians wouldn't use anything but. Four out of five physicians said “never again” to the thought of paper patient records, suggesting that the concept of EHR systems is sound, but that the execution of same could stand some shoring up. Issues of bureaucracy in healthcare have often been an impediment to physicians, so improving ease of use and accessibility should go a long way here.
That was the week that was in healthcare technology, and our global online community was in fine form, bringing back all the biggest news to land in the field. Be sure to join us back here next week for all the latest in healthcare technology, and of course, every weekend for our Week in Review!
