Hospitals should increase their investments in IT to at least 3.0 to 3.5 percent of their total annual expenditure and procure more cost-effective systems that provide greater value, according to analysis from market research firm Frost & Sullivan.

The U.S. market for high-tech patient monitoring systems, valued at $5.7 billion in 2009, is expected to experience an annual growth of around 26 percent through 2014, according to a new report from market research firm Kalorama Information.

An external support resource centered on a national technical expertise center supported by global developer and implementer groups can be effective in implementing and maintaining EHRs at multiple sites in resource-limited settings, according to a study in the May edition of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Between 2009 and 2020, the information in the Digital Universe will grow by a factor of 44; the number of files in it to be managed will grow by a factor of 67, storage capacity will grow by a factor of 30, yet the staffing and investment to manage the DU will grow by a factor of 1.4, according to an EMC-sponsored report from research firm IDC, of Framingham, Mass.

The Department of Veterans Affairs should commit to and announce, as a matter of strategic policy, a plan to move to an open source, open standards model for re-engineering the next generation of VistA, the departments integrated health information system, according to a new report from the Industry Advisory Council.

Rep. Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts introduced this week the Improving Veterans Electronic Transition Services Act (iVETS Act) to encourage the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to create an internet-based portal for veterans to access their records and benefits information electronically.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Portfolio project management (PPM) failed the first time it was launched at Baystate Health due to a lack of coordination, said David Rice, PMP, project planning coordinator, information systems project management officer at the Springfield, Mass., healthcare system. As a result, he provided advice to other providers on how to effectively implement a PPM.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--An organization's project management culture needs to fit the culture of the larger organization, according to survey data presented at the  Healthcare 2010: Effectively Managing Projects in Turbulent Times symposium on May 7, sponsored by HIMSS New England (NEHIMSS) Chapter.