I don't normally blog on Fridays, but after speaking with Dr. David Blumenthal, head of ONC, yesterday after the announcement of the final two Beacon communities, I didn't want to wait to post until Tuesday. Read »

A recent report shows that despite the big push for health IT adoption, only 2 percent of hospitals in the U.S. can meet the federal government's criteria for meaningful use of EHRs. Are you surprised? Read »

Many hospitals and physician offices are beginning to embark on the journey to implement and derive meaningful use out of EHRs. The Beacon communities will demonstrate how health IT can improve clinical outcomes, drive efficiencies and increase patient safety. Early adopters of EMRs and EHRs will also serve as role models in terms of where to find value and ROI. There has to be a business case for any IT investment, and finding multiple business cases for EHRs will only increase adoption. Read »

It’s never too early to start work on the 2013 quality measures, which is exactly what the federal health IT panel is doing. Read »

This is the third installment of the interview conducted with Heather Haugen and Jeffrey Woodside, MD, whose book, Beyond Implementation: A Prescription for Lasting EMR Adoption, was published in May. Read »

The Dept. of Health and Human Services will soon announce the 15 communities - from a pool of 130 applicants - that will serve as the Beacon Communities. Read »

For those concerned about the digital divide growing wider and deeper with the push for EHR adoption among providers, have no fear. Read »

Amidst a still-faltering economy, the bright spot has been healthcare IT, thanks to ARRA and its HITECH Act. Just as there is a lot of hope and energy invested in moving the healthcare industry into the 21st century, there are equal parts of anxiety and pessimism that billions of dollars will be spent without transforming the industry in the form of increased quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery, and reduction of medical errors and cost. Read »