Network Infrastructure

The Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed regulations on accountable care organizations, released March 31, will be one of the first delivery-reform initiatives to be implemented under the Accountable Care Act and will be key to overhauling the U.S. healthcare system, said Donald Berwick, MD, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Kaiser Permanente this week has opened a new Center for Total Health near Capitol Hill.

The ONC announced earlier this week that more than 60 healthcare and health IT organizations - from EHR vendors to integrated delivery systems to state-based and private-sector HIEs - have expressed their support for the Direct Project's simple and secure messaging protocols.

HealthPoint, a network of 12 not-for-profit clinics in suburban Seattle, has reaped significant cost savings by consolidating IT that had been spread throughout seven of the network's facilities.

David Blumenthal, MD, the national coordinator for health information technology, announced his departure from the ONC just 17 days before the HIMSS11 conference began on Feb. 19 in Orlando, Fla. Blumenthal came onboard just two weeks prior to HIMSS09.

The cloud, social networking are key

As the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s Beacon Communities focus on using IT to improve the quality and efficiency of care, they also have a rare opportunity to spur regional economic growth by making use of private-sector systems and technology.

Hospitals aren’t taking advantage of the opportunities Facebook creates to better engage patients, build healthcare communities or develop their brands, according to a new study.

Work calls for connecting 500 hospital labs to public health agencies

Aneesh Chopra is the Chief Technology Office of the United States, previously served as managing director with the Advisory Board Company, a publicly traded healthcare think tank.