Mike Miliard

A long, long time ago, way back in 2007, "presidential candidates in both parties were pledging to boost health IT," writes TIME magazine reporter Michael Grunwald in his book, The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era (Simon & Schuster). "Several bipartisan bills were floating around Congress, and Hillary and Newt Gingrich were both hailing electronic medicine as the future of healthcare."

A long, long time ago, way back in 2007, "presidential candidates in both parties were pledging to boost health IT," writes TIME magazine reporter Michael Grunwald in his book, The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era (Simon & Schuster). "Several bipartisan bills were floating around Congress, and Hillary and Newt Gingrich were both hailing electronic medicine as the future of healthcare."

The Statewide Health Information Network of New York enabled critical continuity of care as patients moved around in wake of Hurricane Sandy.

The Statewide Health Information Network of New York sees itself as a "public utility" as much as an HIE. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, as patients bounce between hospitals (and as other public utilities, such as electricity and transportation, are compromised), it has enabled critical continuity of care.

Healthcare organizations have a lot on their plates nowadays, and the challenges are only growing. Meaningful use is a big one, of course - not least Stage 2's new focus on patient engagement.

HIMSS Analytics' Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) has been tracking hospitals' slow upward climb towards advanced health IT use - an eight step ladder, from paper-based to totally wired - since 2005.

Health insurers are embracing social media, mobile health applications and even games as they position themselves for accountable care and try to encourage their members to take more interest in their wellness, according to a recent report from Chilmark Research.

Sentara Healthcare, which operates more than 100 sites in Virginia, has partnered with Sunrise, Fla.-based MDLIVE to offer patients virtual medical consultations with its network of physicians. As part of the deal, Sentara will take an equity stake in the privately held telehealth firm.

Vendors say Stage 2 is 'doable.' But test scripts, and guidance on quality measures, would be appreciated to really get going.

The Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins Medicine has partnered with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) to design and deploy a set of interventions to reduce medical errors in intensive care units.