This is the third installment in CMIO's exclusive web series exploring the birth of Rhode Islands statewide health information exchange (HIE), featuring the leading stakeholders and clinical perspectives on its development.

Nearly 20 percent of admissions and 23.2 percent of inpatient expenditures--$3.4 billion--were devoted to 2.9 percent of patients who were readmitted to the same children's hospital four or more times within a year, according to a study in the Feb. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded seven cooperative agreements totaling $241 million to help a group of early innovator states design and implement the IT infrastructure needed to operate health insurance exchanges.

Spectrum Health, a nonprofit health system in West Michigan, has launched health IT software developer InterSystemss smartphone app to provide access to personal health information via the healthcare providers MySpectrum web-based patient portal.

Memorial Medical Center, a critical access hospital located in Neillsville, Wis., has selected NextGen Healthcares NextGen Inpatient Clinicals, NextGen Inpatient Financials and NextGen Ambulatory EHR.

HIMSS11s Interoperability Showcase will feature more exhibitors and a larger federal presence than ever before. CMIO recently discussed Direct, Connect and the Nationwide Health Information Network with Doug Fridsma, MD, PhD, director of the Office of Interoperability and Standards at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and Arien Malec, ONCs coordinator of the Direct Project.

Casa Grande Regional Medical Center will offer Stat Health Services' STAT Doctors eHealth service to its 3,000 employees and covered dependents. CGRMC, a 187-bed community hospital that serves as a base station to more than 12 Pinal County, Ariz. emergency service providers, is making the eHealth suite available to aid its employees in maintaining health.

The Saint Francis Health System of Tulsa, Okla., has acknowledged a burglary and theft of a computer from a secured information systems room at the Saint Francis Broken Arrow facility in Broken Arrow, Okla. The theft was discovered a few weeks ago; and police were notified and the case is under investigation, according to the notice posted on the provider's website.