Digital Government

HHS told to standardize consent, privacy in e-health record exchanges

Health care IT executives are urging the Health and Human Services Department to deal with how patient consent will be managed for release of health data.

People

HHS spent $1.6B on advisory committees over 10 years

The Health and Human Services Department was by far the highest spender on federal advisory committees, accounting for about half the total federal spending on such committees for 2001 to 2010, according to a new GSA website.

Digital Government

White House wants $10M for portal and operations center

The White House has gotten the "Do Not Pay" Web portal running and is preparing for its full implementation by the end of fiscal 2012, a senior official testified on April 15.

Acquisition

Some agencies struggle to recover improper payments

Improper and fraudulent payments to federal contractors got attention at a House subcommittee hearing today.

People

Performance officers lack authority, report says

A report says federal performance officers don't have real clout.

Modernization

SSA exposed SSNs, names, birth dates for 36,000 people, IG says

The Social Security Administration didn't take enough precautions to protect against exposing the Social Security numbers, names and birth dates of more than 36,000 people, according to a new audit.

Acquisition

Costs jumped on VA's Wi-Fi contract, IG says

The Veterans Affairs Department rushed through procuring Wi-Fi at 236 VA facilities, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General.

Digital Government

HHS names new health IT national coordinator

Dr. Farzad Mostashari takes the helm of the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the office that facilitates distribution of $20 billion in economic stimulus law funds for digital medical systems.

People

Agencies collaborate on learning research project

The Education and Defense departments are looking at how researchers and educators use federal resources to study and teach.

Digital Government

Agencies recover from shutdown threat

The government held conferences, federal websites were running, and agencies were tweeting as normal Monday after a government shutdown was averted.

Digital Government

Smithsonian CTO shares tips on using new media tools

The Smithsonian Institution's CTO shares tips on how federal knowledge workers can adapt and learn from new technologies.

Cybersecurity

DHS IG clashes with Secret Service over authority of CIO

The Homeland Security Department's Office of Inspector General is recommending more authority for the Secret Service Chief Information Officer.

Digital Government

VA would keep 97 percent of employees working during shutdown

The Veterans Affairs Department released a contingency plan and field guide today describing what steps will be taken in the event of a government shutdown.

People

Gov 2.0 on the go: Agencies hit it big with mobile apps

Here are four examples of agencies tailoring public information and services to mobile users.

Digital Government

Federal websites might be unattended or go dark during furloughs

Many questions were raised today on how, and if, federal websites would function and whether any of them would go offline during a federal shutdown.

People

Energy's mission for cutting-edge communications

The Energy Department's Cammie Croft talks about the challenges of being a social media advocate in the federal government and the importance of staying on the front lines of new technology.

Cybersecurity

Terror alert system will use Facebook, Twitter

The Homeland Security Department is planning to scrap its color-coded terror alert system for a new system that relies on Facebook and Twitter in some cases, according to the Associated Press.

People

Industry dealings could be more transparent in open-source tracking system

Former White House Deputy CTO Beth Noveck is promoting an open-source system to identify and label the 18 million business entities in the United States.

People

Half of funding for Data.gov, IT Dashboard restored in latest CR

House GOP lawmakers are proposing a 50 percent cut in open government initiatives including Data.gov and the IT Dashboard.

People

VA CIO erred in firing Martinez, judge rules

An administrative judge has reversed a decision by Veterans Affairs Department CIO Roger Baker that removed a VA deputy assistant secretary from her job.