Allison Tsai

In order to encourage providers to adopt EHR technology, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has informed state Medicaid directors that the federal government will reimburse states for 100 percent of incentive payments made to healthcare providers showing "meaningful use" of electronic health records.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has published more information on its $598 million grant program to go towards 70 Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers.

A one-year evaluation study from the Group Health Cooperatives demonstrates that a medical home model in conjunction with health information technology could solve the nation's primary care physician shortage.

The Medical Group Management Association is asking the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to hasten the reporting of electronic health record data for the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative P4P program, according to a letter from the organization.

The Federation of American Hospitals sent a letter to federal health IT officials asking them to drop "meaningful use" proposals that would require healthcare providers to meet quality improvement targets in order to qualify for federal incentive payments.

Choosing and implementing an electronic health record is among the top concerns for medical group practices, according to a study from the Medical Group Management Association.

Testing of a hand hygiene program using infrared and radio frequency identification technology to capture and time-stamp hand washings is underway at a Miami hospital.

Universal coverage could clog the healthcare system unless new care-delivery models are created, such as telehealth and online doctor appointments, according to a recent survey.

EHR adoption has decreased in hospitals in states where privacy laws restrict the ability to disclose patient information, according to a study published in the journal Management Science.

The use of pen-and-paper workarounds in conjunction with electronic health records could boost overall efficiency, according to a new study.

A new report from UnitedHealth Group says the U.S. healthcare system could reduce costs by $332 billion over the next 10 years if healthcare providers update their technology.

After spending eight years and $1.6 billion, Canada has made little progress toward its goal of implementing electronic health records by 2010, according to a recent report.

Medicare is proposing a rule that would simplify reporting requirements for the Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program and the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative and set the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for calendar year 2010.

Physicians fail to tell patients about abnormal results in one out of every 14 medical tests, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Though the Phoenix area has seen a high adoption rate for electronic health records, it also is the first region to experience a "deinstallation" trend, a recent report says.