Using McKesson’s Horizon Study Share™ reference
case solution, the American College of Radiology (ACR) has made its
entire library of ACR Learning File® images and content available
online as a Web-hosted archive to ACR members and others in the field.

Initiate Systems, Inc., a leader in data
management solutions for the exchange of health information, announced
today a new partnership with Axolotl Corp., a premier provider of
Health Information Exchange (HIE) solutions and services. Following
successful product integration in Axolotl’s engineering labs, the two
healthcare technology industry leaders will deliver solutions that
enable interoperability between healthcare information systems in
hospitals, Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs), Regional Healthcare
Information Organizations (RHIOs) and statewide healthcare exchanges.

The American Medical Association (AMA) announced
today it is working with Microsoft to better connect patients with
their physicians. Patients and their physicians will be able to
exchange vital health care information by connecting through
Microsoft’s HealthVault, a
platform developed by Microsoft to store and maintain health and
fitness information.

GE today announced, as part of its healthymagination
initiative to increase access to technology and reduce cost, the launch
of a new program, Stimulus Simplicity, which offers doctors and
hospitals an easier path to electronic medical records (EMR) adoption.

Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
sounded the alarm about the widespread toll of medical errors in a
groundbreaking report called “To Err is Human.” The report prompted a
rush of congressional hearings and promises of reform. But in the
decade since the report was published, little progress has been made
implementing key reforms recommended by the IOM to improve patient
safety, according to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of
Consumer Reports.

Though a federal law requires hospitals to
report physicians who have had their admitting privileges revoked or
restricted for more than 30 days, a Public Citizen
report found that in addition to inadequate discipline
of physicians, hospitals routinely exploit loopholes to avoid
government requirements, with nearly half of all hospitals not
submitting a single doctor’s name to the NPDB in the more than 17 years it has existed.

ASQ (American Society for Quality) announces the
new Spencer Hutchens Jr. Medal for Social Responsibility. The medal
recognizes the achievements of an individual who demonstrates
outstanding leadership as an individual, business leader, and cause
advocate for social responsibility — primarily focusing on the
marketplace, environment, workplace, and community.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
learned that some stolen vials of the long-acting insulin Levemir made
by Novo Nordisk Inc. have reappeared and are being sold in the U.S.
market.

The Cardinal Health Foundation today announced
it has awarded a total of $1 million in grant funding for new and
innovative programs to improve patient safety at 35 hospitals, health
systems and community health clinics across the country.

More than 80% of hospitals across the U.S. have implemented automated
dispensing cabinets (ADCs) as an important part of their drug
distribution system, making the evaluation of practices and policies
surrounding this technology an essential step in ensuring patient
safety.