> State public health departments are using information from hospital electronic health records to track outbreaks of illnesses and pinpoint their sources, according to an article published this week in the New York Times. The electronic information enables the state to mine the data faster and, hopefully, prevent or slow the spread of disease. FierceHealthIT
> A co-written commentary in The Atlantic notes that EHR vendor Epic currently is enjoying great success, but that its approach to use proprietary systems and standalone structure may not be good for the healthcare industry over the long term. If one company "locks up" the EHR market, it will stifle innovation, write authors David Shaywitz and Tory Wolff. Commentary
> Close to 75 percent of doctors responding to an annual survey conducted by EHR vendor athenahealth indicated that Meaningful Use is a difficult or cumbersome process, the company announced last week. What's more, "very favorable" opinions on electronic health records dropped from 39 percent in 2011 to 32 percent this year, the Physician Sentiment Index--which consisted of 507 responses--showed. Article
And Finally ... Nice gesture? Or an attempt to sabotage the visiting team? Article