The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in partnership with GE Healthcare and Analog Devices, has launched the Medical Electronic Device Realization Center, charged with developing electronic devices, diagnostics and treatments and technologies for information-driven healthcare systems.

Are we standing at the threshold of a major change in the nations healthcare delivery model? With the rules for accountable care organizations (ACOs) finally out, we examine some early models for accountable care organizations in the story on page 18.

The answer to this question will vary across facilities and by scope and function of the CDR. However, there are common denominatorsincluding high-quality, accessible data and, increasingly, scalability.

Patient monitoring is key to excellent patient care. Southeast Alabama Medical Center (SAMC), a 420-bed facility in Dothan, Ala., is an innovator in this space, standing at the forefront of progressive cardiac patient monitoring. Sponsored by an educational grant from Drager.

A revamped image management strategy is becoming a necessity for many organizations, as large files overtax storage infrastructures. With imaging study size and volumes increasing and business models in flux, its not getting any easier, but some organizations are finding a way to manage.

Clinical data repositories have been around a long time, at least 20 years in one form or another. I had the opportunity to participate in an experiment, of sorts, with a CDR used as an ambulatory EHR. We were asked to do a very simple test: To see legacy system scheduling for outpatient care at the University of Michigan, and allow that to be viewed side by side with a new system. We used a web-based app, and a SQL database to store information.

U-Systems has launched a new transducer technology designed for use with its automated breast ultrasound system.

Medical devices are becoming more integrated with hospital networks, which means the data on both the devices and the networks could become more vulnerable to security breaches.