physician practices

ComputerWorld examines the possible impact of the much-talked-about CMS program which will offer small to midsize physician practices access to VistA, the open-source electronic health records software developed by the Veteran's Administration. Reaction to the government's announcement so far has been mixed, ranging from polite skepticism about the program's impact, particularly from health IT veterans, to enthusiastic praise from open-source supporters pleased that the …

Medicare officials said this morning that the government will offer free electronic health records to physicians participating in the Medicare program. Doctors will be provided with free software based on the highly-regarded Vista, the system developed in-house by doctors and engineers at the Veteran's Affairs administration. The news is likely to shake up the health IT sector considerably, where many vendors have made bets on the small to midsize practice market. Medicare officials said …

> A study in Health Affairs estimates that in addition to the 45 million uninsured Americans, another 16 million are underinsured. Release

> The Houston Chronicle takes a detailed look at the ongoing EMR effort in the city's major hospitals. Story

> Californians will get a chance to vote on Gov. Arnold …