Following the results and recommendations of a report from solicited feedback from communities across Colorado focused on the inclusion of behavioral health in health information exchange (HIE), the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization is developing an action plan to include working with project steering committee members and other stakeholder organizations on consumer, provider and policymaker education.

The internet has made instant, at-home access to entertainment, information and shopping a reality for years. Now, as more providers begin to offer online patient portals, a survey of adult outpatients has shown that online access to radiologic reports either immediately or within a period of a few days is often preferable to waiting for a consultation with a primary care physician, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Having access to patients' laboratory test results influences the decision-making process regarding the ordering of further tests, which supports the predictions of financial savings made in the health information exchange (HIE) cost-benefit models, according to an article published in the March 26 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has commended the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) for its recent inclusion of proposed use requirements for medical imaging information in Certified EHR Technology as an objective of Stage Two Meaningful Use Criteria.

Creating and maintaining a successful and sustainable health information exchange (HIE) initiative is difficult but not impossible, according to an April report from the National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC).

A poorly planned health IT implementation can have deleterious effects on the quality of patient care, and can even increase inpatient mortality, according to an article published in the March edition of the American Journal of Managed Care.

Is 2012 truly the big year for health information exchange (HIE)? The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society seems to think so, as does the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has established a new award to recognize outstanding and innovative approaches to health information management (HIM).