Interoperability

Marking its entry into the patient identification market, health IT security company Imprivata has acquired Tampa, Florida-based HT Systems, which develops technology for palm-vein-based biometric patient ID.

Interoperability has been part of the healthcare lexicon for at least a couple of decades. Today, however, true interoperability does not seem to be happening at the scale nor the speed the industry needs.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, former National Coordinator David Blumenthal, MD, conjures a vision of connected healthcare in 2030. He notes, however, that "this future won’t materialize unless some problems are solved along the way."

Mount Sinai Health System -- with its seven hospital campuses, medical school and extensive ambulatory care network -- is building a new referral system for its care providers.

The draft interoperability roadmap released by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT contains so many details in its 166-pages that has been called "meaningful use on steroids."

Mount Sinai Health System has selected Cambridge, Mass.-based InterSystems' HealthShare as its interoperability platform for long-term growth.

Is there a Black Swan gliding unseen through the corridors of healthcare?

Bryan Sivak, chief technology officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be leaving in April. No word yet about what's next for him.

An Ohio-based hospital is the latest provider to sign on with CommonWell Health Alliance, a step that will give its clinicians the ability to see patient data from other health organizations within its EHR.

Epic has notched another big win, as Scripps Health, with its four hospitals and more than 25 clinics, has chosen the health IT giant to replace its electronic health record and revenue cycle management systems.