Mike Miliard

This past May, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson delivered a speech on the subject electronic waste (e-waste), which she called one of the most pressing global environmental priorities for the U.S. Too often, she said, America's e-waste "ends up illegally overseas in developing countries - India, Africa - where labor is cheaper...and workers are often less safe," she said.

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) and the Drummond Group have been named the first two bodies designated by the ONC to test and certify EHRs, with expectations that there are more Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ONC-ATCBs) to come. Now what?

With its acquisition of Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based Quantum Medical Imaging, a privately-held manufacturer of X-ray systems used by hospitals, imaging centers and health clinics, Carestream Health has bolstered itself with a substantial portfolio of conventional and digital X-ray technologies, and better-positioned itself to penetrate the small and mid-sized hospital market.

In a deal that will add feet-on-the-ground management of payer reimbursement services to 200 hospitals in 30 states enabled by a technology backbone, Emdeon Inc. announced in early September that it will acquire Altanta-based Chamberlin Emonds & Associates for $260 million in cash.

For the most part, electronic health records are terrific. But they're far from perfect. And providers implementing EHRs shouldn't expect them to be problem-vanquishing panaceas, said Ann Meehan and Julia Kendrick of Nashville's Ardent Health Services.

A lot of attention is paid to the medical and technological ramifications of the EHR. But not enough is devoted to the legal ones. That was the message at an AHIMA session Monday, "The Impact of the Electronic Health Record on Litigation and in the Courtroom."

Bonnie Cassidy, vice president of HIM product management at Reston, Va.-based QuadraMed and the president-elect of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), sat down with Healthcare IT News at AHIMA's 82nd annual convention and exhibit to talk about the importance of the health information management profession, and her vision for the future.

Hyland Software announced Friday that it had purchased privately-held Computer Systems Company, Inc., a Strongsville, Ohio-based provider of business and clinical healthcare software and document conversion services.

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, alongside the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, has sent a joint letter to Regional Extension Center project officers nationwide, pledging assistance in achieving an electronically enabled healthcare system.

Carestream Health has announced that its new cesium iodide CARESTREAM DRX-1C detector is now available around the world in countries where it is approved for use.