emr system

>  A World Health Organization official in Indonesia said there is little evidence that the bird flu virus has mutated into a form capable of human to human transmission. Story

> Trends: The California HealthCare Foundation has released its annual survey of health care in California.  HMO enrollment is down; pay for performance gaining ground. …

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced that a plan to distribute VistA, the open-source EMR system originally developed by the Department of Veteran's Affairs, has been put on "indefinite hold." The news does not appear to mean that the project has been canceled -- at least not yet. Quality Improvement Group director Dr. Karen Bell said the Department of Health and Human Services plans to move forward with the initiative, which is intended to boost EHR adoption among small …

> PBM Medco says its quarterly profit is up 8 percent and that revenue beat expectations. Story

> Hospital software vendor Eclipsys almost got into the black last quarter; almost all of its loss was a pay-off for the outgoing CEO. Story

> Harvard's Jeremy Nobel argues health …

The debate over electronic medical records promises to get interesting this week after the announcement from CMS that the government will provide small to midsized practices with free access to the VistA EMR system. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), in an Op-Ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, writes that the move is necessary to overcome physician hesitation. "Quite simply, the entire country should have the highest quality care we can afford." Frist goes on to tout …

This week CMS announced that the oft-touted VistA system -- the EMR developed by the VA -- would be made available for free. Given that similar EMR systems are sold for up to $15,000 per seat, this might appear to be a boon to the computerization of the physician practice, while simultaneously destroying the prospects of commercial software companies in that market. But there are many …

> McKesson has acquired D & K Healthcare, a drug distributor with a strong presence in the South and Midwest, in a deal valued at $206.8 million. Story

> Following up on last week's buy of Neighborcare, long-term care provider Omnicare said it will acquire excellRX for $269 million. …

> After a long silence, agriculture officials said they had traced a case of Mad Cow disease to a Texas herd. Story

> Unhappy with the handling of the case, health groups, including the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association, have petitioned to join the government's lawsuit against big tobacco. …