Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) face challenges in adopting EHRs, which may account for the reason that 82 percent do not use an EHR, 85 percent use paper perioperative notes and 74 percent use dictation and transcription for physician procedure notes, according to an independent U.S. survey of ASC administrators.

Microsoft has released its Microsoft Amalga, which allows hospitalenterprises to unlock their data from isolated clinical, financial andadministrative services, for European availability.

Apax Partners, a private equity investment group, has agreed to acquireTriZetto Group, a healthcare IT solutions provider, in a transactionvalued at approximately $1.4 billion.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has extended theeligibility of certain rural healthcare provider organizations forthree years to receive subsidized funding of telehealth initiatives.

President George W. Bush’s Council of Advisors on Science andTechnology is expected to join many other organizations calling forchanges in federal privacy rules to increase patients’ comfort levelswith EHRs, according to Government Health IT.

Kelly A. Feist has joined Sunquest Information Systems, a provider oflaboratory information systems, as its vice president (VP) of marketing.

WellCare Health Plans has reported that the disclosure on the internet of some data for as many as 71,000 Medicaid members in Georgia is due to human error.

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technologyhas received 27 additional applications from ambulatory EHRvendors as the July 1 deadline for certification under the 2007criteria approaches.