Enhancing the EHR to consolidate information for comprehensive immunosuppressive medication review following liver transplant was associated with fewer rejection episodes and fewer toxicity events, and it decreased costs, according to a study published in this month's Journal of American Medical Informatics Association.

The adoption of digital patient records, increased regulation, provider consolidation and the increasing need for information exchange between patients, providers and payors all point towards the need for better information security, according to an article published in this month's International Journal of Internet and Enterprise Management.

IBM will dedicate $100 million during the next three years to an initiative to help medical practitioners and insurance companies provide evidence-based care to patients.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has approved the state of Floridas Medicaid waiver request to help fund a demonstration program that will allow the states Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to mine Medicaid Management Information System data to identify cases of potential Medicaid fraud.

The contractual obligations in the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on modifications to the HIPAA privacy, security and enforcement rules under the HITECH Act for business associates and downstream entities are game changers, according to Amy S. Leopard, JD, from Walter and Haverfield, during a webinar sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

Attorney General (AG) Bill McCollum and the Florida Agency for HealthCare Administration's Secretary Tom Arnold have submitted a formal request to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for a waiver from the federal government which, if granted, would launch a Florida pilot data mining program to combat Medicaid fraud.

William M. Tierney, MD, has been named president and CEO of the Regenstrief Institute. Pending approval by the Indiana University trustees, he also will serve as associate dean for clinical effectiveness research at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has selected the national officers for the 2010-2011 fiscal year, including Debra W. Lockwood as chairman and Ralph L. Sacco, MD, as president of the association.