Digital Government

Latitudes and longitudes

The U.S. health care community is not alone in its struggles with privacy, standards and other challenges to the health information technology agenda

Digital Government

Health nets grow up fast

When Congress returns from its August recess, it will tackle the questions raised by legislation aimed to improve the American health care system through information technology.

Digital Government

The education of Capitol Hill

Members of congress are getting a crash course on the economics and politics of health IT.

Digital Government

The calculus of change

The U.S. health care bill could be cut significantly through wider use of health IT systems. What will it take to get doctors to use the technology?

Digital Government

Vendors scramble for seats at the table

Industry players emerge in the high-stakes effort to shape a national health IT policy and speed the implementation of clinical information systems.

Digital Government

Diabetes monitoring reaches new levels

In the United States and abroad, health care professionals have started to wield information technology to identify, treat and manage patients with diabetes.

Digital Government

Mixing, matching and missing

The state of health IT standards resembles nothing more than a basket of mismatched socks

Digital Government

U.K. completes major engineering work for health IT system

National Health Service hopes to fully deploy medical imaging system within two years.

Digital Government

Health IT to help with care for Katrina victims

Agencies are trying to recover parts of patient medical records from electronic systems to replace paper records lost in the storm.

Digital Government

Free EHR software is on hold

The release of free electronic health record software from the Department of Health and Human Services has been delayed indefinitely.

Digital Government

Gov. Warner: IT needed to cut Medicaid costs

The federal government needs to invest significantly more in health technology to keep the system from bankrupting states.

People

Leavitt: Katrina demonstrates need for e-health records

Most people displaced by Hurricane Katrina have no medical records, making it difficult for clinicians working in disaster medical centers to treat them, the HHS secretary says.

Digital Government

EDS scores Medicaid contracts with two states

Florida and Oklahoma select EDS to process their Medicaid health care provider claims.

People

New help for consumers to pick best hospital

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services adds three new quality measures to the 17 already available for consumers to compare hospital performance.

Modernization

HHS seeks volunteers for Katrina disaster relief

The agency has created a Web site for medical professionals and IT and communications personnel with experience in health care IT who want to volunteer for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts.

Modernization

Red Cross works to restore communications at shelters

Red Cross CIO Steve Cooper says the organization is working to restore communications with its 300 shelters in the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

People

Outdated hospital bed system hampers Katrina relief effort

The National Disaster Medical System relies on phone calls and faxes to gather information about available beds following disasters.

People

911 wiped out in many areas

Rescue workers say there is no communications infrastructure in some areas hit by Hurricane Katrina.

Digital Government

State legislatures back health IT for Medicaid

National Conference of State Legislatures support push for expanding health information technology to Medicaid, the health care program for the poor and sick.

People

Navy sends understaffed hospital ship to ravaged Gulf Coast

The USNS Comfort will sail Saturday with only enough medical personnel to staff 250 of the ship's 1,000 hospital beds.