By Susan Carr

One of the “buzziest” announcements last week at HIMSS, the annual health IT conference and exhibition, was the launch of the CommonWell Alliance. CommonWell is a non-profit organization created by five major vendors of electronic medical records (EMRs) to develop, promote, and certify a “national infrastructure with common platforms and policies for health data liquidity.”

DiagnosisOne, an Alere subsidiary specializing in analytics and clinical decision support technology, will now be conducting business as Alere Analytics. The name change reflects a continued focus on providing the healthcare industry with a broad array of analytical and clinical decision support solutions, including real-time patient and population assessment.

First Databank (FDB), the leading provider of clinical drug knowledge that improves medication-related decisions and patient outcomes, has announced that medication dosing content is now available for customization in its alert management solution, FDB AlertSpace.

Georgia-Pacific Professional has entered into a strategic alliance with Versus Technology, Inc. to introduce the SafeHaven monitoring system, designed to help healthcare workers improve their hand hygiene participation rates.

Truven Health Analytics, formerly the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters, has released its annual study identifying the 100 top U.S. hospitals based on their overall organizational performance.

By Mitch Work, MPA, FHIMSS, and Chuck Appleby

When your vision is to become a “high reliability” organization in healthcare like those in the nuclear power and commercial airline industries, you’ve set the bar at a height no health system has yet reached. Add a burgeoning uninsured population with diminishing reimbursement in one of the most competitive health marketplaces in the nation and, well, “Houston, we may have a problem.” Memorial Hermann Health System—a Houston-based integrated delivery system with 12 hospitals and more than 20,000 employees serving a 115-mile-diameter region centered on the metro area—has not only set such a bar, its exemplary record in patient safety and clinical quality makes it a good bet to reach it.

In an effort to provide the best patient care possible, Western Maryland Health System (WMHS) recently announced its successful integration of B. Braun Medical Inc.’s (B.Braun) innovative Outlook 400ES Safety Infusion System.

Awarepoint Corporation, the largest real-time location system (RTLS) corporation dedicated exclusively to healthcare, announces the launch of its new Bed and Bay Sensor that enables precise tracking of mobile equipment and patient and caregiver interactions in locations with tight-bed spacing, such as the emergency department (ED) and pre- and post-anesthesia care.

The Massachusetts Alliance for Communication and Resolution following Medical Injury (MACRMI), an organization formed in 2012 and dedicated to the prompt resolution of medical liability arising from injuries to patients, has announced the launch of its website for Massachusetts patients and providers at www.macrmi.org.