Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) show that both large and small hospital vendors found success in the first year of meaningful use attestation, according to market researcher KLAS.

Propelled by government incentives, a desire to improve patient outcomes and the bottom line, sales of EMRs grew 14.2 percent in 2011, according to medical market research company Kalorama Information.

In 2012 the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) will advance the growth and spread of health information exchange (HIE) by specifying the next layer of core standards and policies, according to the agency itself in an article published in the March edition of Health Affairs.

While a patchwork of best-of-breed EHR systems might provide the best clinical solution for different specialists, inpatient and large group leaders balance physician demands with the realities of implementing, interfacing and supporting each solution, according to a report from market research firm KLAS.

Healthcare organizations are teaming up to help take the mystery out of using personal health records (PHRs) by rolling out two new informational brochures to help promote the understanding and use of PHRs among consumers and clinicians. 

Finally! After much speculation about both the latest meaningful use regulations and when the new rule would emerge, Farzad Mostashari, MD, the national coordinator for health IT, made the big announcement during the 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference. Stage 1 will be delayed and the proposed rule for Stage 2 meaningful use is out

Radiation therapy departments nationwide are increasingly interfacing their oncology information systems with an EMR with nearly two-thirds of radiation therapy sites having an EMR or complete patient record available in their oncology information systems, according to IMV Medical Information Division.

To reach the goals intended in the HITECH Act, providers and patients must be persuaded of the value of health information exchange and support its implementation, according to an article published in the March issue of Health Affairs.