Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) have improved patient care and produced $372 million in savings for the program, according to performance results released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Less than one-third of the 600 most common healthcare apps have a privacy policy in place and those that do don't provide transparency on privacy practices.

ACT| The App Association, which represents more than 5,000 mobile app players, seeks legislative help to speed innovation and app development for the healthcare sector without sacrificing security and privacy protection.

Boston, Massachusetts, September 15, 2014 – In a report released today, Press Ganey  details how transparency of patient experience data drives improved provider performance and enables more patient-centered care. The Performance Insights report, “Transparency Strategies: Online Physician Reviews for Improving Care and Reducing Suffering,” profiles three innovative health systems that implemented their own physician-review web sites to more accurately present data and allow patients to make informed choices about their care.

Evidence shows that telemedicine can effectively improve care with patients with chronic conditions—but with a few caveats, according to a study published in Telemedicine and e-Health.

Kicking off National Health IT Week, Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, national coordinator of health IT, said she remains “firmly committed and optimistic about the opportunities for the ONC and our federal partners, as well as the private sector, to support consumer engagement in a meaningful way.”

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has tapped Lana Moriarty to serve as its acting director for consumer e-health. Moriarty, who previously worked within the Health Resources and Services Administration, is replacing Lygeia Ricciardi, who left in July.

The realignment of financial and policy incentives is crucial to sustain and support health information exchanges, according to a white paper published by HIMSS.