Despite increasing compliance with patient data security provisions of the HITECH Act and HIPAA, healthcare organizations are experiencing more security breaches that are costing them more money, according to Ponemon Institute research.

A majority of physicians who responded to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) reported that they potentially qualify for financial incentives attached to meeting Stage 1 meaningful use criteria.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it has awarded $220 million in grants to 13 states today to help them develop health insurance exchanges in preparation for full implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

More than half of office-based physicians are now ordering prescriptions electronically, according to Surescripts, a health IT services provider based in Arlington, Va.

Health information exchange (HIE) isnt about technology or money, according to Allen Byington, executive director of the Tallahassee, Fla.-based Big Bend Regional Healthcare Information Organization. Its a change management game where providers need to adopt and embrace the technology that could revolutionize communication among all providers.

Banner Health Network, an accountable care organization (ACO) with headquarters in Phoenix and operations in seven states, has partnered with Aetna, a Hartford, Conn.-based health insurance provider, to create a new health benefits package that will be available to Arizona employers in less than a month.

The Joint Commission recently updated its standards to indicate that text messages are an inappropriate means of placing physician orders.

Using a patient-specific diabetes dashboard improves both the efficiency and accuracy of acquiring data needed for high-quality diabetes care, according to research published in the September/October edition of Annals of Family Medicine.