Government & Policy

VA will open bidding for VistA EHR support, maintenance

By Jessica Davis 12:36 pm September 18, 2018

Beginning Sept. 21, VA will start accepting proposals for contractors to handle the technical and administrative services of its legacy EHR.

NHS hospital kicks off Axe the Fax initiative

By Leontina Postelnicu 12:33 pm September 18, 2018

Countries around the globe are dealing with legacy fax machines and the UK organization is looking to get rid of its devices by 2019.

US Senate capital building exterior view of dome

Senate passes sweeping opioid response bill with eRx, EHR, PDMP provisions

By Mike Miliard 12:31 pm September 18, 2018

With a rare near-unanimous vote, the United States Senate passed The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 on Monday evening. It's a massive bill comprising a wide array of proposals drawn from five Senate committees, and has many implications for the use and funding of health IT.

Credit: FDA

How FDA is evolving to keep pace with innovation in healthcare

By Laura Lovett 01:55 pm September 14, 2018

Though not without critics, the FDA has advanced regulatory processes for apps, medical devices, genomics and clinical decision support.

GAO Carol Harris testifying at House VA hearing

Carol Harris from the GAO testifies at the House VA Subcommittee on Thursday. Credit: HouseVetAffairs

EHR interoperability for VA and DoD, who’s responsible? Lawmakers, officials can't agree

By Jessica Davis 01:47 pm September 14, 2018

The first House VA Subcommittee on Technology Modernization hearing revealed that officials and congressional members are not on the same page when it comes to governance.

Apple unveils Watch Series 4 with FDA-approved ECG

By Jonah Comstock 02:48 pm September 12, 2018

This is the first FDA clearance for Apple and pushes the Watch further into healthcare than ever before.

James Gfrerer testifying at the Senate Committee for Veterans Affairs. Credit: Senate.gov

VA CIO nominee pledges to fix cybersecurity, EHR modernization

By Jessica Davis 04:24 pm September 06, 2018

During the Wednesday confirmation hearing, James Gfrerer said he’d also be an advocate for maintaining VistA during the 10-year process to implement the new Cerner EHR.

NHS announces new Genomic Medicine Service

By Leontina Postelnicu 02:41 pm September 06, 2018

The UK agency said the goal is to provide access to genetic testing to drive personalized treatments and enable interventions for the whole country.

Blockchain being put to work by IBM, Intel, CDC to combat opioid epidemic

By Mike Miliard 05:00 pm September 05, 2018

Add this to blockchain’s growing list of innovative use cases: tracking prescription and population health data.

Credit: HHS Cybersecurity Program report

HHS HCCIC cybersecurity alert: New Ryuk ransomware quickly racking up damage

By Jessica Davis 03:26 pm September 05, 2018

Similar to the notorious SamSam variant that has wreaked havoc on the healthcare sector, the new ransomware only infects crucial assets and resources.