Singlewire Software, developer of innovative voice applications centered around secure, fast, and reliable mass notification, announced the release of InformaCast version 8.1.

Chicago, Illinois—The American Hospital Association announced that it has extended its exclusive endorsement of CyraCom’s language interpretation and translation solutions. AHA Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of the AHA, awards the AHA endorsement to products and services that help member hospitals and health care organizations achieve operational excellence.

Denver—America is getting heavier, and as the population grows and ages, healthcare facilities and their staffs must be able to accommodate heavier patients – and a heavier workforce. Lockton recommends a series of steps to help healthcare workers who serve bariatric patients stay healthy and improve the care they provide.

Florham Park, New Jersey—Nestlé Health Science unveiled its pediatric closed system formulas with the new SpikeRight® PLUS port at the annual American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition’s (A.S.P.E.N.) Clinical Nutrition Week meeting held in Orlando in January. The introduction marks a significant step in supporting the provision of safe enteral (tube) feeding.

Waltham, Massachusetts—Forerun, Inc., an innovator in electronic charting solutions for the emergency department (ED), announced that Upper Chesapeake Health (UCH), an affiliate of the University of Maryland Medical System, has chosen Forerun’s FlexChart™ advanced physician documentation software for the EDs of Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and Harford Memorial Hospital. UCH is a not-for-profit, two-hospital system that delivers a broad range of services, technology and facilities to patients throughout a tri-county area in Maryland.

New York and San Francisco—Health Evolution Partners and Verizon Enterprise Solutions have established a strategic relationship to encourage innovation and adoption of connected health information technologies that help drive patient care improvements and better manage costs.

Barcoding Barcoding Industry/Product News Cardinal Health Launches Innovative Barcode Administration to Help Hospitals Bridge Medication Safety GapsHospira has acquired Sculptor Developmental Technologies, a subsidiary of St. Clair Health Corporation Angel Medical Center today announced its rapid and successful conversion to B. Braun Medical Inc.’s innovative Outlook® 300 Safety Infusion System Hospitals now have a cost-effective … Continued

By Susan Carr

HIMSS12 — the 2012 edition of the biggest gathering of people interested in health information technology (HIT) — is less than a month away. Although often thought of as the bastion of HIT corporations, HIMSS has become an active proponent of social media and efforts to include patients and consumers in HIT. The annual HIMSS conference is one of the best resources for information and opportunities to “meetup” with leaders in social media and networking. In preparation for this year’s event (Feb. 20 to 24 in Las Vegas), I offer links to some HIMSS sessions and other resources for information about social media in healthcare:

Outdated regulations, insufficient payment mechanisms, and established clinical paradigms are the top tier barriers to more widespread use of telemedicine according to study results published in the Jan/Feb issue of Telemedicine and e-Health.