Mixed messages for EHRs this month with Meaningful Use incentive payments increasing but dissatisfaction prevalent.

Kaiser Permanente Colorado has signed an agreement to participate in the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization’s health information exchange network.

This month brings both optimism and pessimism about health information exchange.

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Feb. 18, 2014  -- HIMSS14 attendees interested in learning best practices for healthcare identity management, privacy and security should attend the full-day educational symposium, "Privacy and Security: Challenges and Opportunities in Healthcare Identity," featuring leading hospital practitioners and healthcare association speakers. The symposium, hosted by the Smart Card Alliance Health and Human Services Council, will take place on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014 at the HIMSS14 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla.

DENVER, Colo. – Jan. 15, 2014 – Coalfire announced today the launch of HIPAAcentral, a new compliance exchange that provides a comprehensive suite of services for covered entities and business associates and their subcontractors to manage, maintain and exchange healthcare regulatory compliance.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Feb. 17, 2014 – With a focus on engaging all stakeholders in a community to deliver a true collaborative care environment, MEDHOST, Inc. today announced the launch of YourCareCommunity, a multi-solution, user-friendly healthcare platform. YourCareCommunity, which incorporates the features of a Health Information Exchange (HIE) and an Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI), is designed to connect all stakeholders in a care community, from primary care physicians and hospitals to clinics and personal caregivers of patients.

February 17, 2014 -- Black Book Rankings, well known globally for accurate, impartial customer satisfaction surveys in the services and software industries, conducted a sweeping four month user poll to determine the highest ranked electronic health and medical record vendors. As part of a major research focus on current e-Health initiatives, Black Book announced those vendors with the highest scores in client experience in the areas of Certification-Required EHR Functionalities, Administrative & Documentation Functionalities, Clinical Workflow Functionalities, e-Prescribing modules, Accountable Care Organization data needs and Health Information Exchange enterprises were also examined in the sweeping study.

Healthcare organizations have been experiencing data breaches at record rates. To help, the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange has published guidance on required steps to take to determine if a breach of protected health information must be reported to affected patients and the Department of Health and Human Services.