Quality and Safety

"This year, significant strides were made in health information technology," David Blumenthal, MD, the national health IT coordinator, wrote in his blog detailing health IT achievements for 2010.

The iPad has made its debut at a hospital in Israel where doctors have been given the technology to use on- and off-site.

With federal approval of its statewide health information exchange secured, Wisconsin officials say organizations will begin implementing the plan in early 2011.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the largest healthcare payer in the country, has released a plan for upgrading its computer and data systems with the aim of providing better care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandates the overhaul.

A new study finds that one in six physicians in 2008 reported that his or her practice owned or leased advanced imaging equipment, adding to concerns of the technology's overuse.

With few studies exploring the use of electronic reminders to boost medication adherence, researchers believe there is a "disappointing state of evidence" for a technology that could make so many improvements in healthcare.

Good Samaritan Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center are the first two hospitals in South Florida to use radio frequency (RF) detection technology in their operating rooms to prevent and detect foreign items inadvertently left inside a patient during surgery.

Harris Corporation, an IT company based in Melbourne, Fla., has won a four-year, $19 million contract to develop a statewide health information exchange for Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).

Hospitals' use of electronic health records has had just a limited effect on improving the quality of medical care nationwide, according to a study by the nonprofit RAND Corporation.

The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has announced a new membership program for patient safety professionals that will provide an opportunity for sharing of best practices and the unification of the growing patient safety community.