Health Information Technology News

Nelson: More than $6 million in stimulus money to update health information technology (McCook Daily Gazette)
WASHINGTON — Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson welcomed an announcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that CIMRO in Nebraska will receive more than $6.6 million to assist health professionals in updating their use of information technology, which can help reduce the cost of health care.

Six In 10 Have Used Web For Health Info (InformationWeek)
The Government’s first national survey on the use of health information technology (HIT) shows widespread use of the Web for finding medical info.

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH SYSTEM MEDICAL LABORATORIES SELECTS SUNQUESTS SPECIMEN COLLECTION SOLUTION (PitchEngine)
Sunquest, a leading provider of healthcare diagnostic information technology and outreach solutions, announced today that the University of Virginia Health System Medical Laboratories, in Charlottesville, Virginia, has licensed Sunquest Collection Manager automated specimen collection solution. UVA selected Collection Manager as part of a technology update designed to increase patient safety via …

Six In 10 Have Used Web For Health Info (InformationWeek)
The Government’s first national survey on the use of health information technology (HIT) shows widespread use of the Web for finding medical info.

Veterans Health Administration runs competition for health IT ideas (Federal Computer Week)
The Veterans Health Administration has launched a contest to see which employees and contractors can dream up the best ideas for improving its use of health IT.

Electronic Health Records Need Better Monitoring (redOrbit)
The push is on for healthcare providers to make the switch to electronic health records but it is hard to tell how well these complex health information technology systems are being implemented and used, writes a health informatics researcher at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in a Feb.

Douglas Ash, Lockheed Martin Vice President, Elected Vice Chair of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
The Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) is proud to announce the recent election of Douglas Ash as Vice Chair for the 2010 2011 calendar years. As Vice Chair, Douglas will be directly responsible for assisting the ITSMF board and its 180+ members in strategic growth and operational performance.

Electronic health records need better monitoring, UT prof reports (EurekAlert!)
( University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston ) The push is on for health-care providers to make the switch to electronic health records but it is hard to tell how well these complex health information technology systems are being implemented and used, writes a health informatics researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in a Feb. 3 commentary in JAMA, the …

Microsoft eyes ‘robotic doctor’ to cut health costs in poor countries (EurActiv)
Craig Mundie , chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft , says growth in the world’s population means low-cost technologies must become accessible for billions of people. A leading figure in the information technology sector believes virtual doctors can help raise health standards in the developing world.

PatientKeeper to Host HIMSS-Sponsored Webinar on Meaningful Adoption of Healthcare Information Technology (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
BOSTON—-PatientKeeper, Inc., the leading provider of Physician Information Technology, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Paul Brient and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Donald Burt will co-host a Webinar sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society titled Meaningful Use Requires Meaningful Adoption: Reporting From the Trenches on February 2, 2010 at 2 p.m.