We've come to recognize that EHR implementation and adoption is part art, part science, so say the clinical IT leaders who share tales of successful and less-than-successful deployments. In nearly all cases, physician buy-in is one of the top obstacles to electrifying the record process. Although culture change is a big factor in slow buy-in, usability is another factor, and one thats likely to gain more attention as more facilities implement EHRs.

A master patient index (MPI) can ensure that patients clinical data stay with them, providing a longitudinal view of their health. The question is: If you build an MPI, will the right data arrive in the right place?

The first patient has been enrolled in a pilot study to evaluate the ability of RG1068 to improve detection and characterization of pancreatic cancer in combination with contrast-enhanced MRI and CT.

Clinical decision support (CDS) has the power to take a clinicians toolbox to the next levelprovided it is immediate, accurate and in-depth. Atrius Health stepped up to the CDS plate a year and a half ago by integrating Wolters Kluwer Healths UpToDate into its EMR. Sponsored by an educational grant from UpToDate.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has shifted course and issued new breast cancer screening guidelines that recommend mammography screening be offered annually to women beginning at age 40, citing the high incidence of breast cancer in the U.S. and the potential to reduce deaths from it when caught early.

The American College of Radiology (ACR) has issued a letter imploring radiologists to express their disapproval over reimbursement cuts planned for the 2012 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

As of the end of 2010, 25 percent of prescriptions were transmitted electronicallyup from almost none in 2004. Simply put, e-prescribing is well on its way to becoming a mainstream practice.

The Intel-GE Care Innovations partnership has launched Connect, a new portal and social networking application aimed at bolstering seniors mental health by pre-empting isolation and inactivity.