Chilmark Research predicts that radiology departments will turn to cloud-based computing tools as physical media is an ineffective, costly and slow way to store and transport images. The market research firms findings were presented in a November report sponsored by lifeIMAGE, a health IT services provider.

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.

Doctors Helping Doctors Transform Healthcare officially launched on Dec. 1. The nonprofit, collaborative effort led by doctors for other doctors, was created to promote the transformation of the healthcare system through increased use of health IT.

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 meaningful use Stage 2 deadline has been extended to 2014 for eligible hospitals and professionals that qualified as Stage 1 meaningful users in 2011, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced.

CHICAGO--Despite early assumptions that meaningful use (MU) targeted only primary care, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has paid nearly $1 billion to eligible providers and less than half of that amount has been distributed to primary care physicians, Keith J. Dreyer, DO, PhD, vice chairman of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said during a Nov. 29 session at the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

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).

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) recently unveiled a final rule that further details the responsibilities of the ONC-Approved Accreditor (ONC-AA) and outlines a process for disciplinary action should the ONC-AA fail to meet those responsibilities.