John Andrews

The face of telehealth is changing in ways that are becoming unrecognizable from just a few short years ago. No longer is it just a rudimentary communication between healthcare providers and patients. It is now a substantive encounter that reflects the intimacy and personal nature of a face-to-face visit, providers of new-generation technology say.

Seems like the sky is the limit for cloud computing, whether it is to replace servers, manage mobile apps or handle system recovery. Cloud vendors are constantly coming up with new ways to utilize a platform that seemed like little more than vapor five years ago.

Officials from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology had a presence at this year's Connectathon and were glad to use it as an opportunity to leverage support for interoperability.

Hard numbers for return on investment in health IT aren't always measurable, at least in a direct way. Instead, healthcare organizations need to look at both "hard" and "soft" savings when considering a system's ROI.

The Office of the National Coordinator had a place at the table for the 15th annual IHE North American Connectathon, filled by Doug Fridsma, MD, chief science officer and director of the ONC's Office of Science and Technology and four members of his team.

There have been many ideas proposed as solutions for reducing costly hospital readmissions, but one concept that hasn't gotten much attention over the years is patient empowerment -- the practice of letting people take control of their healthcare. Mobile devices make it more possible than ever.

Building on the combined themes of Innovation, Impact and Outcomes, ONWARD, the HIMSS14 Annual Conference & Exhibition at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 23-27, will offer innovations designed for maximum impact and improved attendee outcomes.

The push for meaningful use Stage 3 has reached a point where a confluence of power structures are ready for more breakthroughs -- hence, the impetus for collaboration among IHE USA, ONC and S&I Framework, officials from these groups say.

Anticipation about the IHE North American Connectathon's move to Cleveland in 2015 is running high among the event's organizers, though they insist that they are not looking past their final year in Chicago Jan. 27-31, 2014.

On any given day, a disaster occurring somewhere in the country is making news. And while the focus is (rightly) on the human toll and physical destruction these events cause, little attention is paid to how important data and IT infrastructure is lost to provider organizations in the danger zones.