To improve the quality of healthcare services, “we have to make it personal,” Robert Kolodner, MD, national coordinator for health IT, told his audience Monday morning at the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)’s 79th Annual Convention & Exhibit in Philadelphia.

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology(CCHIT) has certified two additional ambulatory EHR products, whichmeet its 2007 criteria. With the new certifications, there are noweight products under the enhanced criteria.

NDS Surgical Imaging, a provider of digital technologies for surgicalsuites, has released ConnectOR, an OR device integration applicationfor surgical settings.

Quovadx, a healthcare IT company, has acquired Healthvision, a healthinformation exchange provider that connects hospitals, labs,physicians and patients.

CodeRyte, a provider of computer-assisted coding and clinical dataextraction technologies, has added George Sears to its management teamas vice president of business development.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awardedGeorgia’s Department of Community Health a $3.93 milliontransformation grant to help build a statewide health informationtransparency website.

Chicago-based Initiate Systems has introduced Initiate Master DataService version 8.0, a comprehensive master data management (MDM)platform that delivers single and complete versions of critical dataassets in real-time to users.

Aionex will use SkyeTek’s M1 HF SkyeModule to RFID-enable emergencyrooms, operating rooms and intensive care units readers in its PatientResponse Platform, software that communicates and documents patientinformation.