CMS still without a leader; UCLA aggregating 800 file formats;

> It's the elephant in the room, the 800-pound gorilla and the emperor's new clothes all rolled together: CMS still has no permanent administrator even as it develops rules for meaningful use (even if this story doesn't mention that). Article

> IBM is helping UCLA Health System aggregate more than 800 different EMR and scanned paper file formats in a physician portal. Press release

> Phoenix-based multispecialty group practice Integrated Medical Services has chosen an integrated Allscripts EMR, practice management and revenue-cycle management system. Press release

> Virtua, a four-hospital system in New Jersey, will install the NextGen EHR at 23 sites in its own physician group and offer the software to affiliated community physicians. Article

> QuadraMed announced four enterprise EMR contract wins this week in the U.S. and Canada. Press release

> A task force of the federal Health IT Policy Committee heard testimony that electronic exchange of laboratory results could be a significant barrier to broad EHR implementation. FierceHealthIT

> CCHIT will take comments starting Nov. 16 on a proposed expansion of its 2011 certification criteria, and also is seeking members for two boards. Article

> A review among 4,000 patients, caregivers and healthcare administrators in Saskatchewan recommends that the Canadian province accelerate and consolidate its EMR efforts. Article

> At a UK conference next month, Australian vendor iSoft will unveil the latest version of its Lorenzo Care Management EMR and introduce the recently acquired, U.S.-developed Viaduct integration engine to the European market. Article

And Finally... Apparently, cancer researchers need to spend less time in the lab and more at their nearest Indian restaurant. Article