This is the second year of CDC's five-year program known as the National Public Health Improvement Initiative (NPHII) Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure for Improved Health Outcomes grant program. More than 100 people have already been hired through the NPHII and an additional 116 positions are expected to be filled through the new awards. Read More »

The expansion of microinsurance has been slow, tethered to distribution channels that allow insurance providers to achieve a feasible scale...but a recent conversation with the head of MicroEnsure’s Kenya office shed light on the potential for mobile payments to set microinsurance free, both in terms of distribution and product design. Read More »

Healthcare is one of the last industries in the United States to universally incorporate technological advancements. While most sectors have made significant investments in information technology to improve efficiency and consumer relationships, America’s health care system is still largely paper-driven. As a result the healthcare system is plagued by inefficiency and poor quality. Read More »

Health Populi’s Hot Points: The name of this paper perfectly frames the discussion. American health consumers have shared a mentality that newer tech equals better tech, that more CT scanners and MRIs on Pill Hill portend better health for their communities. Read More »

Although meeting Meaningful Use hasn't exactly been the easiest of feats for hospital CIOs, perhaps they can take solace in knowing that their patients will receive vastly superior care to those treated by doctors using paper records, according to the results of a new study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read More »

Telehealth and mobile health are going mainstream, having reached the mass media beyond health information technology trade press. The latest addition to Americans’ media mindset came in an article on Fox News this week, The Doctor Will See You Now, Wherever You Are. Read More »

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to award a contract in September for an electronic health record system to manage health care for detained foreign nationals, including undocumented immigrants, Government Health IT reports. Read More »

Traditional defense contractors are increasingly muscling into the health care services field, hoping that the burgeoning area can help them weather reductions in Pentagon equipment buying. Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin and Falls Church-based General Dynamics, both of which already had health care practices in place, have ramped up their businesses in recent weeks with new acquisitions. Read More »

The architects of the HITECH Act are hoping that a lot of things are going to change within the next five years. But according to some healthcare sector prognosticators, EHRs and related IT developments are only the tip of the iceberg. Read More »

In a new blog post, Gartner’s Andrea Di Maio asks if it’s time to pull the plug on government websites? Read More »