Morning Headlines 3/19/14
Researchers at the University of California Davis Health System have demonstrated that EHR data can be used to predict sepsis, and are working on an algorithm that can be incorporated into EHRs to generate alerts and drive interventions.
Colorado health exchange workers are paid more than similar positions in three other states
20 percent of the 36 employees working at the Colorado health insurance exchange make more than $100,000 per year, drawing criticism from local papers. Patty Fontneau, the executive director over the HIE, defended the salaries, saying "I had to hire individuals with skill sets to implement a significant project in a short period of time." Colorado has one of the best performing exchanges in the country, but it did have significant technical issues at launch, and its enrollment numbers are below the state’s expectations.
New York Presbyterian Hospital Announces Winners and Results from NYC’s First Hospital ‘Hackathon’
New York Presbyterian Hospital awards the three winners of its hospital hackathon $50,000, $25,000, and $10,000 respectively. The two-day hackathon it held drew 17 teams and focused on developing tools to improve patient engagement and the patient experience.
Google’s Flu Tracker Suffers From Sniffles
David Lazer, a Northeastern University computer science professor, publishes a paper criticizing Google Flu Trends for presenting highly inaccurate data, saying that last year Google predicted twice as many flu cases as the CDC later said there were.
Giving a patient medications in the ER, having them pop positive on a test, and then withholding further medications because…