Improvements in slide scanning, image management and analysis technologies, and are pushing digital pathology systems forward. At the same time, the demand for faster, more accurate diagnoses is increasing. The result? Market researcher Frost & Sullivan has estimated that digital pathology hardware and software systems could become a $2 billion industry during the next decade.

By assigning one password for all applications, single sign on (SSO) technology gives clinicians speedy access to the apps they need. Armed with SSO, users neednt write down (then lose) passwords. So whats the catch? These techniques wont streamline access if all necessary apps arent included under the SSO umbrella, and health IT leaders must make sure their organizations password protection and security policies can accommodate an SSO framework.

The inaugural CMIO 2010 Top Trends and CMIO Census gauged health IT leaders thoughts about the HITECH Act with three questions: Would the act achieve its goals within five years? Will more money be needed for it to achieve those goals? What were the biggest organizational obstacles to implementation? To a certain extent, the responses to these questions show how our perceptions of the HITECH Act, and health IT in general, have evolved nationally.

Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction, a newly adapted CT reconstruction technique, can help reduce CT colonography (CTC) radiation dose by 50 percent, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Image and information management systems provider DR Systems has added new capabilities to its electronic medical information exchange (eMix), now allowing for importing and data sharing from CDs, DVDs and other external media.

Declining profits and decreasing staffing may hinder hospital quality and safety, according to an analysis in the June issue of Journal of Hospital Medicine.

Boston Scientific has launched its Taxus Element paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system in the European Union and other CE Mark countries, after which the first implants took place.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the availability of $51 million in Health Insurance Premium Review Grants through the Affordable Care Act.