Clinical quality measures are the element of the Meaningful Use (MU) program that take the rich database of EHRs and transform those data into usable, meaningful information.

Clinical decision support (CDS) is designed to improve care by presenting providers with evidence-based guidelines at the point of care. The lack of simple processes for translating guidelines into code understood by EHRs, however, has prevented widespread adoption. Recognizing the potential of CDS, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) are working together to learn what works and how it canbe widely implemented.

Overcrowded emergency departments (EDs) are not an uncommon sight in hospitals. Patient volume has increased in EDs across the U.S., but staff sizes and physical spaces have mostly stayed the same, exacerbating the problem. Some EDs are looking to other departments, such as IT and engineering, to improve patient flow and reduce backlog.

Mindray is in the crosshairs of the FDA again. China's largest medical device company received a Nov. 29 warning letter for several quality system violations.

An increasing number of factors thwart efforts to bring new technologies to patients suffering from cardiovascular disease. In the minds of physician researchers and industry leaders, regulatory barriers, less financial return on investment and government impediments interfere with innovation. However, if innovators can adapt and evolve to a more global healthcare ecosystem, a silver lining may materialize.

“IT plays an integral role in all of our strategies,” says Patrick Gandy, Jr., MBA, senior vice president and COO of Lafayette General Medical Center in Lafayette, La., which has earned numerous accolades for delivering high-quality healthcare. “IT touches every part of the organization,” and the organization could not have achieved its success without it.

This begins a three-part series describing what mobile network operations or mobile telecommunication vendors can offer healthcare, as well as the possible downsides of using the mobile telecommunications products.

Every few months another study warns of a severe shortage of primary care physicians (PCPs) in the future. A recent report published in the Annals of Family Medicine explained how we will require 52,000 more PCPs by 2025 due to population growth, aging demographics and insurance expansion.