Technology (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Technology, gathered by BenefitsLink.comCBO Director Says Health IT Holds Promise, But No Panacea for Health Care Costs- (Found July 2, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Health information technology could improve health care quality, but it is not the cure-all solution to reducing U.S. health care costs, Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag said at a forum on Friday, CQ HealthBeat reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=52896 High Costs Keep Doctors from Switching to Electronic Records, According to Survey- (Found July 2, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The survey, appearing in Wednesday's online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, found that only 4% of U.S. physicians use comprehensive systems of electronic health records. These include key patient safety features, such as prompts when a medication may react badly with another drug the patient is already taking." (USA TODAY)http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-06-18-electronic-health-records_N.htm Federal Thrift Savings Plan Moves Forward on Spousal Benefits and IT Modernization- (Found July 2, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The Thrift Savings Plan is on track to undergo a major technology modernization and is moving forward with efforts to allow spousal beneficiaries to keep funds in the TSP. But changes to the plan's offerings and the enrollment process were the subject of debate at the first joint meeting of the Employee Thrift Advisory Council and the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board on Monday." (GovernmentExecutive.com)http://govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40347&sid=2 |