As we close out 2013 and look forward to a fresh new year, we present you with 10 stories that had you, our readers, most captivated. They inlcude news about IRS troubles and EHR breakdown at a major hospital system. Bad news seems compelling. But so does good news, in the form of lists. Readers like all kinds of lists: most wired, best IT departments, best hospitals. If it's a list, it's popular.
IRS faces class action lawsuit over theft of 60 million medical records
The Internal Revenue Services faced allegations that it improperly accessed and stole the health records of some 10 million Americans, including medical records of California state judges.
Setback for Sutter after $1B EHR crashes
The nearly $1 billion electronic health record system at Sutter Health in Northern California crashed in August, leaving nurses and clinical staff not only unable to access vital patient information for a full day, but also scrambling to record new data on paper.
What to do (and what not to do) when your $1B system-wide EHR fails
The 24-hospital Sutter Health system was the talk of the town late August after a software glitch rendered its $1 billion electronic health record system inaccessible to nurses and clinical staff. Reflecting back, a Sutter nurse talks about what the health system should have done differently.
EHR users unhappy, many switching
With numerous electronic health record systems continuing to fall short of providers' expectations, a report by Black Book Rankings suggests that 2013 may indeed be the "year of the great EHR vendor switch."
HHS makes 'sweeping' changes to HIPAA
The most eagerly awaited -- if not anxiety-laden -- set of regulations in the healthcare spectrum arrived January 17: HHS issued modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement and Breach Notification Rules. The man charged with enforcing the rules said they represent "sweeping changes."
'Most Wired' named for 2013
The 15th annual Health Care's Most Wired Survey spotlights the hospitals and healthcare systems that have come furthest so far in implementing health IT and putting it to work transforming care.
Healthgrades names top hospitals
Healthgrades, an online healthcare quality reporting group, released a list of 262 hospitals it calls the best when rated for risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for 27 common procedures and conditions involving Medicare patients. Healthcare information technology often plays a key role in the outcomes measured.
Lawyer to docs: Share notes with patient
There is a growing trend of physicians sharing their written notes with patients, and that's not such a bad idea, says attorney and consultant David Harlow, principal at The Harlow Group, LLC.
What will Google Glass do for health?
It's probably the most anticipated and potentially transformative new gadget since the smartphone. But unlike the iPhone, Google Glass has also been heralded with a healthy dose of controversy.
2013 Best Hospital IT Departments program names 83 finalists
Eighty-three IT teams were in the running to be named a top hospital in the Healthcare IT News 2013 "Where to Work: BEST Hospital IT Departments" program.
