Erin McCann

As anyone who's ever worked for IT security can attest, the job is no walk in the park. New threats, compliance mandates, vulnerabilities and updates are constant. But with strong leadership, and a culture of compliance and responsibility to match, many healthcare organizations have shown it can be done right -- and well.

With its sights set on a Department of Defense deal, technology giant IBM announced Tuesday it was teaming up with EHR behemoth Epic Systems to compete for the DoD Healthcare Management Systems Modernization contract. The DHMSM is slated to replace the current Military Health System and will serve some 9.7 million beneficiaries.

The American Medical Association on Monday named its new president-elect, who has been recognized for his involvement with health information technology. The to-be president has been critical of several aspects of the EHR Incentive Program.

Kevin Johnson is a professional hacker -- albeit a self-described ethical one. As head of the security consulting firm Secure Ideas, his job involves probing into organizations' networks and applications to identify vulnerabilities. What he sees in healthcare terrifies him.

A Pennsylvania-based hospital is notifying nearly 2,000 patients of a HIPAA breach after an employee accessed and transmitted patients' protected health data outside of the hospital's secure network.

Healthcare's all about the patients, right? But far too often, there's a disconnect -- the idea that the care ends when the patient exits the building or a diagnosis is made, the idea that clinical deals with clinical and information technology deals with IT.

A system-wide EHR rollout is no walk in the park. With poor management and implementation plans, it can sap worker morale and deter long-term success. This appears to be what has transpired this week at the Athens Regional Health System in Georgia after staff unanimously voted "no confidence" for the system's CEO, who has effectively announced his resignation.

Working on the patient portal portion of Stage 2 meaningful use? Officials at Mayo Clinic can offer some valuable insight into their own portal rollout -- challenges that have arisen, privacy concerns and how to do it right.

Information is money. And data brokers, companies that mine consumers' personal information and sell to the highest bidder, know this more than anyone. Their practices in collecting said data, however, have recently come under fire.

Federally qualified health centers are now adopting health information technology at higher rates than office-based physicians, according to a new report, but FQHCs' concerns over addressing rising demand with persisting staff shortages remain top of mind.