HHS recently announced a new program providing bonuses to doctors using electronic health records - part of a broader push that may yet include new legislation by year’s end. The new program will provide through Medicare about $150 million extra over five years to physicians in selected areas who replace paper medical records with electronic versions.

Click here to listen to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt’s announcement

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NextGenWeb recently conducted a podcast interview with Dr. Terry Rabinowitz, Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and Telemedicine Services Associate Director at the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center.

Click below to hear Dr. Rabinowitz explain the innovative broadband applications that are being used to ensure that care is provided quickly and easily to historically underserved populations.  Dr. Rabinowitz also explains how he uses broadband in the field of tele-psychiatry.  Every day, numerous consultations are performed over video-conferencing to treat countless patients for mental health conditions.  The methods of Dr. Rabinowitz have been so successful that his model has been adopted by several hospitals and health programs across the Northeast and more patients are realizing the promise broadband can bring to better health care.

Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview with Dr. Terry Rabinowitz

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Nextgenweb recently hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on rural health care. Walter B. McCormick, Jr. (President & CEO, USTelecom, The Broadband Association) moderated the panel which discussed how broadband brings more accessible and cost-efficient health care to rural Americans. The panelists included Michael Manley (Outreach Director, UAMS Center for Distance Health) and Nina Marie Antoniotti, Ph.D (Program Director, Marshfield Clinic TeleHealth Network). Both Michael and Nina discussed the benefits broadband provides to rural communities. Michael pointed to the increasing demand for specialized care in rural communities of Arkansas while Nina highlighted how broadband is bringing world class healthcare to rural communities in Wisconsin.

Click below to watch highlights of their presentations.

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NextGenWeb recently attended Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) annual conference in Washington DC. The Center for Aging Services Technologies is leading the charge to expedite the development, evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies that can improve the aging experience. CAST has become an international coalition of more than 400 technology companies, aging services organizations, research universities, and government representatives. After the event, NextGenWeb caught up with Majd Alwan, Director of CAST, and Larry Minnix, President and CEO of AAHSA, to discuss how they are using broadband technologies to provide first-rate care while reducing health care costs.

Click here to see the interviews

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In this interview, Joy Howell, the Director of the “How Broadband Changed My Life Campaign” at the Alliance for Public Technology, discusses how broadband is leveling the playing field for the elderly. Joy highlights how broadband is enabling seniors to live independently and keeping them better connected to their families and communities. Joy also emphasizes how the use of broadband technologies provides seniors with vital health care information and increases access to specialists who may be thousands of miles away. Joy concludes, “Broadband is changing people’s lives in every possible way”.

Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview

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NextGenWeb recently attended a press conference on Capitol Hill sponsored by the Business Roundtable. The press conference gathered Senators and CEOs in an effort to urge Congress to pass a Health IT Bill titled the “Wired for Health Care Quality Act.”  The event’s presenters included Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts; Senator Michael Enzi of Wyoming; Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications, Inc.; and Ronald Williams, Chairman and CEO of Aetna, Inc.  As the presenters shared, Health IT applications could provide annual savings of $81 billion, prevent thousands of annual deaths from medical errors and make quality healthcare accessible and affordable for populations who have been left out of routine care.

Click here to see highlights from the press conference

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NextGenWeb recently hosted a Webinar titled “Learn How Broadband is improving the Aging Experience for America’s Seniors & Increasing Access to Quality Care Through Health Information Technology.” I was joined on the speakers panel by Tom Soroka, the VP for Engineering & Technology at USTelecom; Nancy Johnson of the Health IT Now coalition; and Thomas Berg, General Manager of Strategic Relations Information Systems at Wisconsin’s Marshfield Clinic.

Tom Soroka, VP Engineering & Technology at USTelecom kicked off the session by introducing the Internet as an “interconnected network which stretches across the globe”. Tom emphasized that the internet thrives because of “private investment, competition, and innovation.”

To Read More Click Here

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NextGenWeb recently hosted a briefing on Capital Hill titled “The Potential and Promises of Broadband”. Featured speakers included Congressman Zack Space representing Ohio’s 18th Congressional District, Michael Manley, Outreach Director at the UAMS Center for Distance Health, Ronald Blackburn-Moreno, President of ASPIRA Association, and Tom McDonald, CEO of BeSafe. The purpose of the event was to provide the speakers a platform to share how broadband has positively impacted their respective fields, including healthcare, education, and public safety. Michael Manley of the UAMS Center for Distance Health discussed how the ANGELS program in Arkansas is bringing high quality health care to residents that have historically been underserved.

To Hear Michael Manley’s Remarks, Click Here

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Connected Nation, Inc., today announced the launch of Connect!, a new campaign to promote the critical need for expanding broadband to all communities throughout the Nation.  A key element of the campaign is a series of public dialogues. Brian and I also briefed reporters on the economic impact of accelerating broadband deployment in various states and the broadband mapping bills that Congress is now considering.

We’re hoping to build on the success of initiatives like ConnectKentucky, a public-private partnership that helped boost broadband availability in the state to 95 percent of Kentucky households last year, from only 60 percent in 2004.

Click Here to Read More and See Coverage of the Announcement

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NextGenWeb recently attended a Health IT Now coalition event where members of the coalition called on Congress to pass health information technology legislation this year.

In a briefing for Members of the House and Senate and their staff, former Congresswoman Nancy Johnson was joined by representatives from coalition member groups the American Diabetes Association, the Genetic Alliance, Consumers for Competitive Choice, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Click Below to See Highlights from the Event

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