Content about information technology

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — PharmaSmart International's blood-pressure screening program is in use in all the stores of a regional retail pharmacy chain in the Northeast.

PharmaSmart said it had deployed the peer-reviewed and clinically validated program at Kinney Drugs, which operates 97 stores in upstate New York and Vermont.

NEW YORK — The Department of Health and Human Services issued a new rule that it said was necessary to protect the security of health information stored online.

As required by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which was part of the 2009 economic stimulus bill, HHS said it would change patient privacy rules in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in order to provide for privacy and security protection for information stored in electronic health records.

PHILADELPHIA — More Americans want technology to play a bigger role in the healthcare system, The Atlantic reported Wednesday, as part of a survey the magazine conducted in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A system for connecting doctors with patients via smartphone is being presented at a healthcare information technology conference this month.

LANSING, Mich. — The federal government has recognized the state of Michigan as a national leader in electronic prescribing, a group of health organizations in the state said.

The Michigan Health Information Network said that the Office of the National Coordinator for health information technology had commended it, recognizing that 94% of pharmacies in the state are equipped for e-prescribing.

CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif. — 99¢ Only Stores last week announced that Richard Anicetti has assumed the role of interim CEO. In addition, Michael Fung will join the company as interim chief administrative officer overseeing finance, information technology, real estate and various administrative functions of the company. 

In connection with the foregoing changes, the original family management team Eric Schiffer, Jeff Gold and Howard Gold are no longer employed by the company. 

DALLAS — Paper-products manufacturer Kimberly-Clark has appointed Jennifer Sepull as its chief information officer and VP information technology services, the company said Monday.

Sepull, who will report to SVP and CFO Mark Buthman, previously was VP and chief information officer of the information systems division at American Honda Motor Co. She also previously worked for IBM and pursued several business ventures.

AUSTIN, Texas — Natural foods retailer Whole Foods Market has appointed a former Accenture executive as its global VP and chief information officer, the company said.

Whole Foods announced the appointment of Jason Buechel, who will report directly to co-CEO Walter Robb and CFO Glenda Flanagan, overseeing the technology team in the company's Austin, Texas, headquarters and 12 regional offices in the United States and the United Kingdom.

E-prescribing offers many well-known benefits to physicians, pharmacists and patients alike. Beyond the well-known patient benefits, real-time transactions with automated requests and responses promise to create efficiencies by speeding the medication ordering process, reducing or eliminating the back-and-forth communications between pharmacists and clinicians commonly associated with handwritten prescriptions.

HORSHAM, Pa. — A division of Quality Systems has teamed up with Microsoft to develop and launch what it called the first joint consumer-based mobile healthcare information technology application for the Windows 8 platform.

TORONTO — Shrink costs Canadian retailers almost C$4 billion per year, according to a new report.

The report, released Wednesday by PwC and the Retail Council of Canada and based on a survey of 34 retailers from across Canada, estimated that retailers in Canada lose about C$10.8 million per shopping day to theft by customers and employees, counting mistakes and organized crime. Cosmetics and fragrances, alcohol and women's clothing were the three most popular items to steal, according to the report.

Emerging multidisciplinary healthcare models, such as accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes, promise to elevate quality and lower costs by harnessing the power of provider, payer and patient collaboration. Often overlooked in the coordinated care equation, however, is the integral role pharmacists can play in delivering efficient and effective care.