The Center of Excellence for Medical Multimedia (CEMM), an initiative of the Air Force Surgeon General, has released its first two mobile apps: the CEMM Virtual Medical Center app and a pregnancy app called "My Pregnancy A to Z Journal,” according to the Air Education and Training Command website.

Not surprisingly, interoperability was a big topic at HIMSS14. In her keynote address, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilynn Tavenner called upon the audience to continue their efforts and work through the challenges of Meaningful Use. Interoperability is key to further improvements, she said.

The global health information exchange market is expected to jump from $558 million in 2013 to $878 million by 2018, according to a report from research firm MarketsandMarkets.

Aetna and Atlantic Accountable Care Organization (Atlantic ACO), a partner of Atlantic Health System, announced a new accountable care agreement designed to improve the coordination and delivery of patient care for more than 28,000 patients in six New Jersey counties.

The Federal Communications Commission launched a new mhealth task force, CONNECT2HEALTHFCC, that will look at ways of accelerating adoption of healthcare technologies.

Whew! HIMSS14 was a big conference with much to see in the exhibit hall and much to learn through a broad range of general education sessions, keynote addresses and symposia. I hope you followed our extensive coverage. If not, please peruse the news anytime by visiting our website.

The American Telemedicine Association has asked Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to lift "unnecessary restrictions" on healthcare delivery that prohibits millions of Americans from accessing quality medical care."

In a significant development signaling the world-wide growth of telemedicine, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) today announced it will co-host the first telemedicine technology exhibition at the Binhai International Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, China, outside of Beijing, Oct. 28-30, 2014. Over 5,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors are expected to attend this inaugural event. The meeting has official approval of the government and is co-hosted by the Municipal Government of Tianjin Binhai New Area as well as the Tianjin Public Health Bureau and Medical Association. Information on registration and exhibiting will be available May 2014.