Free Healthcare IT Newsletter Want to receive the latest news on EMR, Meaningful Use, ARRA and Healthcare IT sent straight to your email? Get all the latest Health IT updates from Neil Versel for FREE!

Meet the Bloggers details

It’s official, we are having an informal gathering of health IT bloggers and readers on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 8:30 p.m. at Hennessey’s Gaslamp, 708 4th Ave., San Diego. That’s walking distance from the convention center and most of the HIMSS hotels. Click here for a map.

RSVP here, then check here to see who else is coming.

Admission is free, just pay for your own food and drink. You think any of us actually make any money with these blogs?

Also, I am now a published author, not merely a media jackal. I wrote the January-February issue of Doctor’s Digest, entitled, “Technology in Practice.” (See if you can guess what the topic is.)

While technically a periodical, it’s bound like a paperback book, my name is on the title page and the editor referred to my draft as a “manuscript.” Plus, I wrote the whole thing, somewhere in the neighborhood of 34,000 words. Sounds like a book to me.

Free online subscriptions right now cover only the six 2005 editions. If you weren’t one of the 110,000 or so physicians and practice managers who got a copy in the mail, contact circulation@doctorsdigest.net. I’ll see what I can do about bringing some extras with me to HIMSS next month—as if I won’t have enough to carry without them.

January 24, 2006 I Written By

I'm a freelance healthcare journalist, specializing in health IT, mobile health, healthcare quality fast $5000 loans-cash.net with bad credit, hospital/physician practice management and healthcare finance.

Industry consolidation, ambulatory edition

The news today is that Allscripts has agreed to acquire A4 Health Systems for $272 million in cash and stock. Allscripts also announced that it is modifying its partnership with IDX Systems in light of the fact that IDX recently was taken over by GE Healthcare and that A4 offers practice management software.

As previously reported, GE will honor the five years remaining on the 2001 alliance between Allscripts and IDX for the two companies to sell their products to each other’s existing customers. Now, Allscripts will be allowed to offer an integrated EHR/practice management package.

A4 gives Allscripts a ready practice management and EHR product for small and mid-size group practices. Allscripts’ TouchWorks already is adaptable for the smaller end of the market, but the Chicago-based company has been concentrating on the more lucrative large-group segment and on the ambulatory side of many academic health centers.

I’m expecting to hear a lot of rumors fly at next month’s HIMSS conference about the next round of consolidation in ambulatory EHRs.

January 19, 2006 I Written By

I'm a freelance healthcare journalist, specializing in health IT, mobile health, healthcare quality fast $5000 loans-cash.net with bad credit, hospital/physician practice management and healthcare finance.

AHIC meeting schedule

The American Health Information Community (AHIC) will hold its third meeting next Tuesday, Jan. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. According to the schedule published this week, the committee will hear briefings from workgroups on privacy and security, the National Health Information Network, the Health Information Technology Standards Panel and the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology. The latter is supposed to have certification standards for ambulatory EHRs within a couple of months.

Also on the agenda are discussions on the topics of quality management and e-prescribing. The public will be allowed to comment at about 3:15 p.m.

If you are in Washington, the meeting is in Room 800 of the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave., S.W. Others can watch a Webcast at http://www.videocast.nih.gov/.

Other 2006 meetings are scheduled for March 7, April 25, June 13, Aug. 1, Sept. 12, Oct. 31 and Dec. 5.

January 12, 2006 I Written By

I'm a freelance healthcare journalist, specializing in health IT, mobile health, healthcare quality fast $5000 loans-cash.net with bad credit, hospital/physician practice management and healthcare finance.

Meet The Bloggers @ HIMSS

Have something to say to my face? Care to hand me secret documents documenting a major story? Or do you simply feel like meeting the people behind this and other health IT-related blogs?

Shahid Shah, aka The Healthcare IT Guy, has proposed a “Meet The Bloggers” event at HIMSS next month.

Details in terms of time, location and content are still very much up in the air, though it looks like it will include some sort of roundtable with a half-dozen or more bloggers. That’s where you come in. Shahid has posted a questionnaire on his site where you can tell us your preferred time and format. (I’ll forgive his “HIMMS” typo in the url because he gets it right on the page itself.) Prefer an alternative to the vendor parties? Want to escape the exhibit hall during the day? How about a breakfast meeting? Tell us, then see who else has responded by clicking this link.

I’m also looking into recording the proceedings for a podcast.

See you in San Diego.

January 8, 2006 I Written By

I'm a freelance healthcare journalist, specializing in health IT, mobile health, healthcare quality fast $5000 loans-cash.net with bad credit, hospital/physician practice management and healthcare finance.