Washington, D.C., July 18, 2011—A new report from the National Research Council recommends steps the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies and professional associations can take to ensure that the medical devices and health information technology used in home health care are easy and safe for laypeople to use and that caregivers, whether formal or informal, are well-trained.

The Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed a new toolkit designed to help optimize the effectiveness of healthcare information technology (health IT) in ambulatory care.

Greensburg, Pennsylvania, July 15, 2011— Excela Health, a not-for-profit health system in Westmoreland County, announced it has selected the RF Assure™  Detection System for use in its surgical suites system-wide to prevent the occurrence of retained surgical items (RSI).

Cambridge, Massachusetts, July 13, 2011—Sermo, Inc., the largest online network in the United States exclusive to physicians, introduced Sermo Mobile, an application that allows physicians to access the country’s greatest concentration of medical knowledge in real-time. Sermo Mobile builds on Sermo’s current web platform, an online resource where physicians from across 68 specialties and all 50 states collaborate, discuss and consult with each other to provide the highest quality care to their patients.

Auburn Hills, Michigan, June 29, 2011—CJPS Medical Systems announced that it is releasing the smallest, most featured, lowest cost, portable multi-parameter vital signs monitor on the market. In this environment of cost cutting and flexibility, and when maintaining the highest level of care is absolutely critical, the timing of the release of VitalPoint® PRO, at half the price of its closest competitors, could not be more fitting.

St. Paul, Minnesota, June 27, 2011—3M Infection Prevention and RL Solutions announced a joint feasibility program to provide healthcare facilities data on the rate of infection in real-time and the costs associated with those infections.

Los Angeles, California, June 20, 2011—Zynx Health, the market leader in providing evidence-based and experience-based clinical decision support solutions, announced that The University of Kansas Hospital has gone live with 240 evidence-based order sets deployed via computerized provider order entry (CPOE).

Houston, Texas, June 16, 2011—In a move that expands its technological capabilities and further differentiates Memorial Hermann as an innovative leader in the greater Houston area,the hospital system has implemented a cutting-edge, cloud-based medical image sharing platform that vastly enhances image management, distribution and data exchanges between referring physicians and hospitals in southeast Texas.

Sarasota, Florida, June 14, 2011—Nurses and clinicians at The Nebraska Medical Center, the state’s largest health care facility, will soon be using iPhones to improve their communication and increase efficiency, thanks to Voalté’s first-of-its-kind integrated communication solution.