Clinical decision support (CDS) can improve quality and reduce costs. This session presents research on people and committees needed to implement effective CDS in healthcare organizations, including activities, roles and qualities.

Researchers at the National Space Biomedical Research Institute have been developing an ultrasound technology that seeks to offer relief to those suffering from kidney stones and the results of the project could lead to new methods for both detecting and treating kidney stones.

Bill Crounse, MD, has been a physician, a broadcaster, the cofounder of a tech startup and is currently the senior director of Microsofts healthcare division. He will be speaking this weekend at the annual Harvard Business School Healthcare Conference, but he stopped by CMIO first to give a preview of his keynote speech.

Undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation at high-volume centers (those that perform more than 15 procedures per year) leads to better outcomes, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. It was found that high-risk patients who undergo transplants at low-volume centers had exceedingly high mortality rates; however, center volume mattered less for lower risk patients.

On Dec. 5, 2011, Metro Community Provider Network in Englewood, Colo., became aware that a hacker potentially accessed the personal health information of approximately 2,000 patients.

Commercial electronic prescribing systems (e-prescribing) could substantially reduce prescribing error rates in hospital inpatients, according to a study published in this week's PLoS Medicine.

The healthcare industry as a whole has been slow to adopt social media tools and to join online social networks, but the presenters of a HealthWorks Collective webinar said hospitals that arent utilizing the modern mode of communication are making a mistake and encouraged them to start now.

Six current and former employees of the FDAall scientists and physicians who worked on reviewing medical deviceshave filed suit against the agency, accusing it of spying on their computer activities. The six allege that they were placed under secret surveillance because they had warned Congress that FDA was hastily approving risky devices.