Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. CCHIT Set to Close Its Operations According to Medical Economics, the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) will end all of its business operations by November 14, 2014. The CCHIT has been certifying electronic health record (EHR) systems since 2006. Health IT Leader DeSalvo Takes Dual HHS Roles Information Week reports that Dr. Karen DeSalvo will now have dual HHS roles. She will continue to lead the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) while also taking on a role as acting assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). AMA Unwraps Mapping Tool to Locate Caregivers The American Medical Association (AMA) has released its Health Workforce Mapper, an interactive tool that shows the geographic locations of the healthcare... read more

This fascinating infographic shows information from the HIMSS annual leadership survey for the past 25 years. 

Watch the latest Million Hearts whiteboard animation video, which shows how you can leverage your healthcare IT investments to prevent heart disease and stroke. Million Hearts is a national initiative partnering with other federal organizations, healthcare providers, and private-sector groups with the goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. The video explains how healthcare providers can use the PDSA cycle as a way to plan interventions and drive improved patient outcomes. For more on how your heart hospital can use the PDSA cycle to support quality improvement initiatives, request your complimentary webinar CD: Driving Change in Readmissions and Length of Stay: Proven Performance Improvement Methods. In this webinar, you will learn how to use the PDSA cycle to understand your hospital's data in order to manage readmissions and length of stay. read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. Economic Uncertainty Not Impeding Growth of Healthcare IT Jobs According to Digital Journal, the healthcare IT job market continues to grow at a high rate. While health IT once accounted for only 5-10% of a hospital's IT budget, it now represents 25-35%. Analysts project that approximately 272,286 people will be EHR technicians by 2022, as opposed to 186,300 two years ago. EHR Incentive Payouts Climb to $23B ​Healthcare IT News reports that hospitals and providers have now received $23 billion in electronic health record incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 94% of all U.S. hospitals are also now participating in the meaningful use program. Karen DeSalvo: Health IT Needs to "Get Real for People" Karen DeSalvo, the national coordinator for health... read more

During Heart Failure Awareness Week (Feb. 9-15), the LUMEDX blog will post on topics related to heart failure program management. In this case study, we will examine how a hospital system utilized performance improvement processes and data analysis to lower heart failure readmissions rates. Background: A hospital system found that its largest expense category over several years was in heart failure (HF) patients due to high readmissions rates. Hospital administrators determined that reducing readmissions rates would enable cost reduction and improve patient care. The Model for Improvement: With guidance from the LUMEDX Healthcare Consultants, the hospital employed the Model for Improvement as a foundation for change. The model asks three questions: What are we trying to accomplish? How will we know that a change has resulted in improvement? What changes can we make that will lead to improvement? By working with LUMEDX to answer the questions above, the ... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. Meaningful Use Comes to CES ​At the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the federal government's plan to drive health IT adoption was a part of the conversation at the Digital Health Summit. Keynote speakers presented on how devices and solutions should be focused on giving consumers control over their healthcare information. In other healthcare IT news, iHealthBeat reports that the sale of connected health and wellness devices will increase by 142% from $3.3 billion in 2013 to more than $8 billion in 2018. These numbers are according to a report from the Consumer Electronics Association and was produced with Parks Associates. 6 Musts for Healthcare Execs for 2014 Healthcare IT News makes recommendations for healthcare executives in 2014. Tips include a focus on physician... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. My Favorite Health IT Quotes of 2013 Healthcare Informatics Contributing Editor David Raths compiles a list of his favorite moments in healthcare IT in 2013. One favorite quote was Farzad Mostashari's statement that "...Our longer term vision is that every healthcare interaction benefits from all the world's knowledge." Healthcare analytics market growth to skyrocket FierceHealthIT reports on a new report from MarketsandMarkets that projects that the global healthcare analytics market will be worth more than $21 billion by 2020. Federal mandates, technological advances, increased healthcare IT adoption, and venture capital investments are cited as strong market drivers. Continued Troubles with Healthcare.gov May Drive Up Costs CBS reports that the problems with the Healthcare.gov website... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. Doctors spending more money on IT According to Healthcare Finance News, doctors are spending more money on healthcare IT purchases. The amount of expenditures in medical practices has gone up 27.8 percent since 2008, according to a study by the Medical Group Management Association. FDA to Regulate Medical Apps that Imitate Devices This past Monday, the FDA released a 43-page document that guides developers of medical apps on how to stay within the parameters of safety. This has been put into place to address concerns about mobile apps that monitor user health and offer medical advice. A Chat With Dr. Farzad Mostashari – Head of ONC In Forbes, we see an interview with Dr. Farzad Mostashari where he discusses topics including his legacy at the ONC, the ONC’s future, The Affordable Care Act,... read more

By Gus Gilbertson and David Wayne In honor of National Health IT Week, we would like to examine the value of investing in healthcare IT as we look to the future of healthcare. Technology has already changed the way that many other industries – from retail, to customer service, to publishing – operate and engage with customers. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that technology is currently disrupting the healthcare industry and giving care providers a way to improve operations and quality of care. As the healthcare landscape continues to shift, providers are being prompted to adopt more evidence-based systems. Healthcare providers need accurate, comprehensive data that can be made readily available for government payers, insurers, registries, and other parties in order to remain competitive and maximize reimbursements. With healthcare IT solutions, care providers have an efficient way to disseminate and access patient information. Using a computer-based system as... read more

Did you have a chance to check out the latest healthcare IT news stories around the Web? We’ve captured the top industry news stories from this week that you won’t want to miss. ONC calls for behavioral mHealth in new app challenge According to EHR Intelligence, the ONC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are currently looking for innovative mobile-based solutions to behavioral health disorders and substance abuse. If you are an app developer interested in entering the contest, you can read the rules and details here. Cloud Computing becoming more prevalent in healthcare CIOL reports on the rise of cloud computing in the healthcare space. According to the 2013 Desktop Virtualization Trends in Healthcare report, the proliferation of desktop virtualization in healthcare continues to increase. Health IT spending on pace to top $34.5B According to FierceHealthIT, healthcare IT spending will reach $34.5 billion in North America in 2014. A... read more