Avaya, a communications firm headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., showcased several new and forthcoming products at the 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in Las Vegas.

The American Medical Association (AMA) and AT&T will merge its community portal for physicians, Amagine, with the Dallas-based communication firms cloud-based health information exchange platform, Healthcare Community Online, and its attached applications. This announcement was made during the 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference last week.

Bay Ridge Medical Imaging, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based radiology group, has installed GE Healthcares Discovery MR750w 3T MRI scanner.

Zecotek Imaging Systems, a subsidiary of Zecotek Photonics, has started legal action in U.S. Federal District Court in Los Angeles against defendants Saint-Gobain and Philips Healthcare for infringement of Zecoteks U.S. Patent Number 7,132,060, which covers the substances and chemical formulations used to grow lutetium fine silicate scintillation crystals, typically used in imaging devices.

LAS VEGASWithout an efficient hiring process for IT staffing, said Suzanne Kosub, senior vice president and CIO, Concentra Health Services, Addison, Texas, you could lose good talent. Kosub spoke Feb. 23 on this topic during the 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference.

Greenway Medical Technologies, making its debut at this year's Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference, launched Greenway Marketplace.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced at the 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference that the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for Stage 2 of its EHR Incentive Program was filed to the Office of the Federal Register. With the NPRM set to be published on March 7 in the Federal Register with a 60-day comment period, Erica Drazen, ScD, managing director, Global Institute for Emerging Healthcare Practices of CSC, in an interview, made recommendations for eligible providers to consider as they continue their meaningful use journey.

LAS VEGASWhile medication management technologies can overwhelm providers due to the interoperability and personnel complications, health IT can be utilized to mediate the concerns, according to a Feb. 23 presentation during the annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference.