Overcrowded emergency departments (EDs) put patients’ lives at risk, increasing the likelihood of inpatient mortality by 5 percent, according to research published December by the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

This week brought some interesting information about the state of privacy and security in the U.S. healthcare industry.  Since 2009, the industry has experienced 495 breaches involving 21 million records at an estimated cost of $4 billion, according to the Health Information Trust Alliance's (HITRUST) analysis of healthcare data breaches since 2009.

The Verizon Foundation gave the Rhode Island Quality Institute a $15,000 grant to implement electronic provider alerts in a program that aims to coordinate care for preterm infants. 

Pressures to meet Meaningful Use (MU) requirements and cut costs are driving growth in revenue cycle services throughout the U.S., according to the recent KLAS report, "Revenue Cycle Services: Which Firms Deliver Big Returns?" ICD-10 preparation and reduced reimbursements also have added to demand for outside revenue cycle assistance to improve cash collections, reduce A/R days and deal with legacy claims.

Mobile technology will substantially impact patient care delivery according to half of IT professionals responding to the seconnd Annual HIMSS Mobile Technology Survey, sponsored by Qualcomm Life. Another 16 percent reported that mobile technology will dramatically change the future of healthcare delivery.

mHIMSS, the mobile initiative of the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), has introduced the mHIMSS Roadmap to provide direction related to mobile health (mHealth).

AliveCor has received FDA 510(k) clearance on its mobile Heart Monitor as well as CE Mark. This mobile ECG heart monitor is compatible with the iPhone 4 and 4S.

A smartphone application developed at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta seeks to improve patient safety by automating pulse oximetry screenings and improving the accuracy of pulse oximetry interpretations.