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

The market for EHRs/EMRs will presumably expand as more healthcare organizations, encouraged by financial incentives included in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), adopt the technology. IDC Health Insights research estimates an adoption rate of more than 80 percent by 2016, up from less than 25 percent in 2009, and predicts a competitive EHR/EMR market that values vendors responses to providers needs.

Radiologists indicate concern about meaningful use (MU), according to a survey from KLAS and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

True integration is ideal for getting the most out of practice management systems and EHRs. However, the cost of replacing multiple legacy systems results in interfacing for most organizations.

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.