The Federal Communications Commissions five bipartisan commissioners have given a unanimous Absolutely on a proposal to allocate airwaves for medical body area networks (MBANs), opening the door for the medical device industry to charge ahead with MBAN products in development.

A review of one radiology practices diagnostic lumbar spine MRI exams has shown that the number of negative findings is 86 percent higher on exams ordered by a physician with a financial interest in the MRI equipment used, adding fuel to the assertion that self-referrals lead to overutilization, according to a study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Findings from an article published May 19 in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association suggest that improvements in hemaglobin A1c (HbA1c) achieved using home telemonitoring and active medication management for six months could be sustained for an additional six months following re-randomization with interventions of decreased intensity in a population of VA-qualified veterans with a high level of access to care.

A threat lurks among the healthcare organization. With more than 13 million personnel calling healthcare their place of business, the portability and remote connectivity of more than 800,000 physicians introduces additional risk into medical IT networks. Failure to implement a robust security program will impact an organizations capability to protect patients and their medical information from intentional and unintentional loss or damage, according to a bulletin published this month by the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.

Wolters Kluwer Health has signed an agreement with Meditech to offer integration between Meditech version 5.64 (Client/Server and Magic) and ProVation Order Sets, powered by UpToDate Decision Support.

In the wake of a data breach impacting almost 800,000 Utah residents, the state has begun a multi-pronged response including the resignation of the states chief technology officer (CTO).

National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari, MD, said his office has created two new officesthe Office of the Chief Medical Officer and the Office of Consumer eHealth.

Fun may just become a new driver for the healthcare industrys interoperability efforts. Gamification, using game design techniques to enhance non-game experiences, is common in other industries but relatively new to healthcare.