Swisslog asked more than 500 hospital managers throughout North America to list the most important vendor attributes they consider before purchasing a materials transport system for their facility. Swisslog, a leading provider of automated materials transport and pharmacy automation solutions for hospitals, today announced that “vendor reputation” was the most important purchasing consideration for hospital decision-makers and influencers.

SDI’s Mobile & Social Media Study surveyed nearly 1,200 physicians regarding their use of mobile technology and their participation in online physician networking. Approximately 30% of physicians access medical information using a handheld device or smartphone. The most popular handheld device or smartphone is the Apple iPhone, with 31% of respondents owning one.

The Institute for Health Technology Transformation (iHT2) is pleased to announce a $60,000 scholarship fund for educational programs taking place in 2010. Established and funded by the Institute in 2010, funds will be allocated to professionals currently working in the healthcare community with a focus on information technology or outstanding candidates looking to transition to IT. The goal of the scholarship program is to provide IT staff and other healthcare professionals with the latest best practices and tools to successfully implement IT solutions and qualify for meaningful use.

Healthcare IT vendors should make it a point to stay abreast of the latest healthcare IT news doing the rounds. Here's something HIT vendors can take note of if they want to sell their wares to physicians. Medicine and IT certainly meet somewhere. This was very much evident at a recently-held meeting of President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). At the meeting, Google CEO Eric Schmidt had engaged physician and health policy expert Dr Atul Gawande in a witty exchange. The doctor had recently published a book - The Checklist Manifesto - which promotes checklists as a way to improve health care quality and at the same time bring down delivery costs.

The American Society of Health Informatics Managers (ASHIM) collects public opinion on new Health IT Jobs to better survey the growing needs of the healthcare industry, the health information technology profession and interests of the engaged American public.

Telehealth is the use of telecommunication systems to provide health or medical care. Examples include videoconferencing, store and forward technologies, and remote monitoring devices. Over the last 5-10 years since the wide acceptance and availability of broadband technology, the use of telehealth applications has substantially increased. The private sector is estimated to be worth over $1 billion by the end of 2010. Additionally, over $4 billion has been appropriated from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support Health IT. The foundation of telehealth technologies is supported by two main ideas, the reduction in travel time and its associated costs.

The Health Care Industry is focusing on ways to provide better service to patients and cut cost for all entities involved. One of the major pushes for improving the quality and cost of health care has been the movement toward better Health IT. Health IT is defined as "providing the umbrella framework to describe the comprehensive management of health information and its secure exchange between consumers, providers, government and quality entities, and insurers." The advances in Health Care Information Technology Software aim to improve health care quality, prevent medical errors, reduce cost, decrease paperwork, and more.

Increasing the Success of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Or How Not to Be Another OctoMom. Using 3D/4D Ultrasound-Guided Embryo Transfer using the Maximal Implantation Potential (MIP) Point will increase pregnancy rates, reduce multiples and ectopic pregnancies. Beverly Hills obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Robert Gergely has found the optimal place in a woman's uterus to implant an embryo for a successful pregnancy. It's not easy to find--but the benefits are huge. His method of targeting the "Maximal Implantation Potential Point" (MIP) considerably increases a woman's chance of achieving pregnancy, reduces the risk of ectopic pregnancy, and importantly, eliminates the need to use multiple embryos in the hope that one will implant properly.

Secure computer networks are intrinsic part of the HIPAA strategy to completely convert the national patent health records into an electronic format, which can be easily exchanged between different agencies like health care providers, insurance providers and administrators. As a result the health care organizations can manage documentation process efficiently in minimal time and provide better service to the patients. But the present day computer system is prone to hacking and virus attacks, which steal or destroy the crucial data. To protect the patient health information there are network security rules, which need to be followed, so that the organization is able to achieve HIPAA compliance.

Innovative online poll seeks feedback from healthcare, long-term care, and employee benefits professionals on a new eHealth service. RememberItNow! LLC, today announced the launch of a research project that leverages social media channels to gather feedback on a new patient-centric eHealth service. The online service includes medication reminders, a personal health record, and private care community.