Warfarin, the most commonly prescribed and trickiest to manage anticoagulant, is the key culprit of hospitalizations for the elderly patient population, according to a study published Nov. 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Warfarin was followed by insulins and oral-anticoagulants, and the researchers found that nearly two-thirds of hospitalizations were due to unintentional overdoses.

The baby boomer generation and chronic illness will drive increased use of home healthcare. Various IT solutions can help organizations reduce readmissions and put technology, such as videoconferencing, to good use to improve patient outcomes.

Welcome to the December issue of CMIO. I am excited and honored to serve as editor-at-large. As a long-time reader, and having served on the editorial advisory board, I am familiar with the content and direction of the magazine.

With this editorial, Id like to offer my greetings to the CMIO readers as I join the staff as editor.

The Direct Project is well on its way to achieving its objective of becoming an on-ramp to the nationwide health information superhighway. In this article, several state programs share their Direct Project efforts.

Communication between laboratory information systems and other data systems is stymied by a lack of interoperability standards. Learn how several facilites are working around the obstacles.

A closer look at the hot topics of the Medical Group Management Associations annual meeting, including EHR rollouts, accountable care organizations, the looming physician shortage and physician compensation.

CMIOs have transformed the U.S. health IT system, and healthcare professionals have gone from oblivion to engagement with medical informatics. A recognized specialty has been formed and included in mainstream medical education. Now, young physicians interested in medical informatics careers also are playing an important role.