Morning Headlines 4/2/13

Doctors firing back at patients’ online critiques

The Boston Globe covers the story of a Boston-based surgeon who is suing her deceased patient’s husband after he posted an unflattering review of her care.

Mixed results on computer-based support for diabetes

Researchers at University College London complete a systematic review of 16 control trials exploring the effect online and mobile diabetes management tools have on overall disease management. The study concludes that the tools had a positive but minor effect on glycemic control, with computer-based tools resulting in a net 0.2 percent drop in HbA1c levels, while the mobile tools yielded a 0.5 percent decrease. Four in ten tools showed a positive effect on lipid panels. The tools had no measured effect on weight, health-related quality of life, or depression.

H.R. 1331: Electronic Health Records Improvement Act

HR 1331, a bill that if enacted will create a Meaningful Use hardship exemption for providers approaching retirement age and small physician practices, is getting lots of media attention this week despite being given one percent odds of making it to vote and zero percent odds of being enacted. Its identical predecessor, HR 6598, was proposed on November 16 and died in committee, which is where HR 1331 now resides.

MMRGlobal Expands Licensing Initiative in Advance of Stage 2 Meaningful Use Patient Engagement Requirements

MMRGlobal announces that it will ramp up efforts to cash in on its patient portal patents, specifically declaring that it will expand its licensing efforts to include hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, laboratory systems, pharmacies, mass merchandisers and other vendors and providers.