> Southeastern hospital system Erlanger Health is partnering with GE Healthcare to implement a regional health information exchange throughout Erlanger's four hospitals and 13 outpatient facilities. According to Erlanger Chief Information Officer Lauren Vamprine, the system needs "streamlined connectivity among [its] Emergency Departments (EDs), inpatient and ambulatory facilities." Press release
> Anxious to ride the iPad wave, GE Healthcare demoed two new iPad versions of its primary health software, Centricity Advance and Centricity Practice Solution, at HIMSS11 in Orlando last week. The applications already are available for use on smartphones and other mobile devices, but company statements indicate the iPad may actually be better suited to the software, given its ability to flick quickly through multiple pages of documents, and zooming in on certain parts of the screen. FierceMobileHealthcare
> Due to, among other things, the cost of improving its electronic medical record system, Michigan-based Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital is laying off 13 full-time employees, reports the Daily Press (thanks HIStalk). The hospital employs a total of 250 full- and part-time employees. Article
> "HHS is sending a very clear message with one of its latest penalties--if you're caught with a violation of HIPAA privacy or security laws, you're going to be fined...a lot," writes FierceHealthPayer's Dina Overland. "It recently levied a hefty penalty of $4.3 million on a healthcare provider in Maryland. That's a penalty that should make all healthcare organizations, including health plans, stand up and take notice of the somewhat forgotten HIPAA law." Commentary
And Finally... What a rat! Article