NeuroGrafix, which focuses on advanced neurological visualization technologies, has filed a suit in California Superior Court-Central District citing inverse condemnation in connection with an aggressive program of patent infringement on the part of the University of California system.

In a letter posted Oct. 12 at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT website, National Health IT Coordinator David Blumenthal, MD, sought to reassure EHR-wary physicians and organizations, stating that ONC recognizes the challenges that EHRs present, and we are facing this problem head-on.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) will award as much as $6.7 million for three years to up to six grantees to expand their behavioral health treatment systems using technology-assisted approaches in communities that can most benefit from these types of integrated services.

GE Healthcare has linked its EMR software with several non-GE inpatient systems, providing a single view of the patient record, using a new interoperability application.

Mayo Clinic has employed MRI-guided laser ablation to successfully treat five patients with kidney and liver tumors.

Healthcare providers prefer the functionality of standalone staff scheduling products, yet they're purchasing and maintaining integrated workforce management technologies, according to a report from market research firm KLAS.

Physical activity is associated with larger volumes of gray matter tissue in the brain, which, in turn, is associated with lower risks of developing dementia or cognitive impairment in old age, a study published in the latest issue of Neurology found.

The use of anytime-anywhere communication tools is growing by leaps and bounds. However, when it comes to communication with patients, physicians appear to be a couple of steps behind, according to a report released earlier this week. Only 6.7 percent of office-based physicians routinely emailed patients in 2008, according to the study, which was conducted by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).