This was a big week in the nation’s Capitol for health IT. Congress focused on mobile health, HIT policy and innovation.

Last year was the worst for IT services contract activity since 2002, according to research from Ovum. Performance in the three months to the end of December 2012 fell significantly below the levels seen in the same period of 2011, ensuring that annual IT services contract activity fell to its lowest level for 10 years, both in terms of total contract value (TCV) and deal volume.

President Barack Obama has signed legislation that renews a law enacted after Hurricane Katrina to improve the readiness of communities and hospitals to respond to disasters and waves of infectious disease.

Johnson & Johnson has opened the Johnson & Johnson Innovation center in London, one of four regional hubs being established this year in global innovation hotspots by the company. A part of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the goal of the London innovation center is to accelerate early-stage science and develop new healthcare options.

As health IT systems continue to transform, providers should manage data like an asset through a framework of information governance, Lydia Washington, MS, American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) senior director of HIM Practice Excellence, and AHIMA member Sandra Nunn, MA, RHIA, CHIP, announced during a March 6 session at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference in New Orleans.

One ripple effect of Meaningful Use is the increasing focus on medical device integration (MDI). However, Julian M. Goldman, MD, medical director of biomedical engineering at Partners HealthCare in Boston, suggests that providers need to strategize beyond Meaningful Use. He discusses the potential and current limitations of MDI with Clinical Innovation + Technology.

Hospitals produce enormous quantities of waste and consume energy 24/7. Forward-thinking providers make improving environmental performance a priority because it is the right thing to do, and also because waste reduction and energy conservation increases efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Operating rooms (ORs), with disproportionately large environmental footprints, are one place where a few thoughtful changes can make a huge impact.

The Healthcare Information Management and Information Systems Society (HIMSS) seems to have packed more into the 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibition than ever before. That comes as little surprise when there are so many different initiatives and efforts for attendees to consider.