Proventys, Newton, Mass.-based maker of advanced decision support technologies, has entered into an exclusive collaboration with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) to introduce the Proventys CDS Oncology  system, a first-of-its-kind Web platform that arms oncologists with expert recommendations and evidence facilitating the delivery of high-quality, individualized patient care.

New York-based consulting firm Deloitte has been designated a Common Security Framework (CSF) Assessor by the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST).

The Boy Scouts of America, now celebrating their 100th anniversary this week, is now using wireless access and other forms of healthcare information technology for the first time at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.

Using wireless devices in the medical centers and AT&T’s six Connection Zones throughout the Jamboree, medical professional such as EMTs can access an electronic medical record system in conjunction with a jamboree ID card to find a specific patient’s medical record to allow more effective care.

CDPH, a New York insurance plan, will invest  $1 million in 21 area primary care and pediatric practices to participate in the second phase of the plan's IT-based medical home initiative.

The goal, say CDPH executives, is to promote the exchange and use of information within the healthcare industry while enhancing the quality of care.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday $51 million in grants to help states launch health insurance exchanges.

The grants, available in amounts of up to $1 million per state, will help states develop a "new, competitive, consumer-centered health insurance marketplace," according to HHS officials. The health insurance exchanges "will put greater control and greater choice in the hands of individuals and small businesses," they said.

Patients who have been hospitalized for congestive heart failure may benefit from a “Home Telehealth” demonstration project set to take place in the Greater Boston area that aims at testing the efficacy of home-based monitoring equipment for older adults with chronic illnesses.

The project is being funded by a 100,000 grant from the Center for Technology and Aging, which was awarded to the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI), an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts evidence-based research.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will begin to make meaningful use incentive payments to eligible physicians and hospitals as early as May 2011, according to a senior CMS official, who detailed steps the agency is taking to start up the incentive program.
       

Cegedim, a global technology and services company specializing in the healthcare field,  announced on Wednesday its acquisition of Wichita, Kan.-based Pulse Systems, Inc., a leading U.S. healthcare software and services supplier.

Cerner this week announced robust financial results for the second quarter, reporting strong bookings, revenue, earnings and cash flow.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is partnering with IBM to market UPMC's "smart" hospital rooms nationwide.

Rite Aid Corp. has agreed to pay $1 million to settle potential violations of federal privacy rules when the national pharmacy chain failed to protect sensitive customer information in disposing of prescriptions and pill bottles in store trash containers.

L.A. Care Health Plan has approved $153,000 in funding for the Western Health Information Network (WHIN) to help connect a minimum of 10 Los Angeles County community clinics to an existing health information exchange network.

In a deal that looks to leverage its health IT capabilities, Aetna has jointly announced with CVS Caremark a 12-year contract to provide pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services to enhance value and services for Aetna’s 9.7 million customers and members – representing more than $9.5 billion in annual drug spending.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced Wednesday that 51 primary care practice sites in the Hudson Valley have been recognized as Level 3 patient-centered medical homes – the highest level achievable.

The accomplishment was achieved by 236 physicians within 11 primary care practice groups (seven medical groups with multiple practice locations and four single site practices), and represents 44 percent of total Level 3 clinicians in New York, and nearly 10 percent of all practices at this level across the country.

Barry Chaiken, MD, has long been a staunch champion for health IT, but technology is not enough, he says. Chaiken, chief medical officer of DocsNetwork Ltd., and outgoing HIMSS chairman, issued a call to action Tuesday at iHT2 Summer Health IT Summit in Denver.

"We need clinical transformation, and we need it now," he told his audience.

That transformation, of course, includes IT. But, he said, "we need to be smart at implementing technology."

For Catholic Health Initiatives, a Denver-based health system with 55 acute care hospitals across the country and no electronic health record system, the challenge of achieving meaningful use will be "keeping the wheels on the wagon, so to speak," says Evon Holladay, vice president, business intelligence.

Holloday was part of a panel of hospital executives, vendors and government officials who spoke about meaningful use Tuesday at the iHT2 Summer Health IT Summit in Denver. The focus? "Where do we go from here?"

As Allscripts irons out details of the merger with Eclipsys that was announced in June, the company announced Tuesday that it has amended its initial framework agreement with London-based Misys plc to reduce the minimum size of the secondary offering of Allscripts shares from 36 million shares to 25 million shares.  

The reduction is contingent on approval of merger proposals being submitted to Allscripts and Eclipsys shareholders at meetings scheduled for August 13. All other financial terms of the June 9 framework agreement remain unchanged.

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) announced Tuesday the launch of new CCHIT Certified programs in three specialty areas for electronic health records.

The new programs focus on Behavioral Health – both as an optional addition to Ambulatory EHR certification and as a standalone Behavioral Health EHR used in other outpatient settings – Dermatology, and Long-Term and Post-Acute Care (which also includes optional add-on certifications for EHRs used in skilled nursing facilities and home health).

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) has launched a series of online quizzes and tools aimed at educating seniors about how the Affordable Care Act affects their Medicare benefits, the growth of Medicare and the budget deficit.

Dubbed the “Straight Talk for Seniors on Health Reform” campaign, the move by NCOA comes in response to a recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive that shows broad disparities between the facts of health reform versus what seniors believe is true.

First up today at the first day of the Institute for Health Technology Transformation's summer summit: talk about meaningful use.

Barry Chaiken, MD, chief medical officer of DocsNetwork and chairman of the HIMSS board, delivers the keynote titled, "Meaningful Use: Is it meaningful?"

A panel discussing "Meaningful Use - Where do you go from here?" will precede Chaiken's keynote.

Weighing in are: