Informatics Corporation of America (ICA) and nonprofit healthcare organization Meridian Health announced that Meridians six hospitals along mid-coast New Jersey are connected via ICAs CareAlign health information exchange (HIE) tool.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority review of the quality of CT scans in British Columbia has widened as health authorities have identified concerns with the quality of studies performed by two licensed and credentialed radiologists, a radiologist practicing out of St. Josephs General Hospital in Comox and a locum radiologist temporarily practicing in the Fraser Valley in 2009 and 2010. In addition, the authority has released recommendations based on phase one of the investigation.

CSC, in conjunction with the State of North Carolina, has implemented phase one of the North Carolina Medicaid Incentive Payment System (NC-MIPS), the computer system supporting the incentive payment program.

CMIO.net presents a weekly update of the EHR products certified by the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ONC-ATCBs). The following EHR certifications were announced recently:

Alabama Regional Extension Center (REC) has selected SuccessEHS as a preferred EHR provider in accordance with government healthcare initiatives.

Coastal Connect, a regional collaboration of healthcare professionals in and around Eastern North Carolina, selected Medicity to power its community-wide health information exchange (HIE) across five independent hospitals.

A review of recent literature shows 92 percent overall positive conclusions in articles gauging the effect of health IT on outcomes, including quality, efficiency and provider satisfaction. The review, which appears in this month's Health Affairs, also found the benefits of the technology are beginning to emerge in smaller practices and organizations, as well as in large organizations that were early adopters.

Federal survey data show that more than 80 percent of office-based physicians could qualify for new federal incentive payments to encourage the adoption and meaningful use of EHRs, based on the numbers of Medicare or Medicaid patients, according to an article in this months edition of Health Affairs.