Regular readers know that we always keep an eye out for updates from Fred Schulte and Emma Schwartz, the duo from the Huffington Post Investigative fund that refuses to let the Obama administration’s push for health information technology proceed without scrutiny. This time, they’re following up on past work with stories on HIT-related errors and the FDA’s role (or lack thereof) in the policing of HIT.
Their most interesting update, however, concerns their effort to get HIT-related “adverse events” data from the FDA. Schwartz describes the difficulties they’ve run into, how they’ve overcome them, and how readers can help them put the whole puzzle together. It’s an interesting strategy, and an equally interesting primer on the FDA’s tricky “Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience,” or MAUDE, database. You can also find their own version of the data here, courtesy of Amanda Zamora.
Attending Health Journalism 2010?
Schulte will be speaking about “Tracking health-related stimulus money” during a panel at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. His co-panelists will be ProPublica reporter Michael Grabell and Phil Galewitz, a Kaiser Health News reporter and AHCJ board member.
On Sunday morning, don’t miss the panel “Personal electronic medical records: What will consumers need to know?” featuring:
- Steve Gray, partner, Affiliated Computer Services Healthcare Solutions
- Bala Hota, M.D., M.P.H., chief medical information officer, Cook County Health and Hospital System
- Thomas Layden, M.D., chief, Department of Internal Medicine; professor of medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Moderator: Prerna Mona Khanna, M.D., M.P.H.. visiting clinical associate professor, University of Illinois College of Medicine
