The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a little-known contract Tuesday for virtual reality software that could one day have a dramatic impact on the ability of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to deal with the various symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. In a relatively small contract of just $77,496, the VA partnered with the […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is looking for two “experienced and energetic innovators” to help expand and modernize the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS). The two new hires?a software platforms architect and a data integration and management architect?would be part of the CDC Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) program and would work hand-in-hand with […]

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new report on how it can expand its information technology capabilities to meet the relentless and growing demands the agency faces. The report, titled “Mission Possible: How FDA Can Move at the Speed of Science,” is the work of the FDA Science Looking Forward Subcommittee, and […]

A new report from the General Accountability Office (GAO) is at the center of the increasingly heated debate over the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive program. The current debate stems around the pace at which Stage 3 of the meaningful use incentive requirements should be issued and the difficulties in achieving interoperability. […]

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issued its latest version of a Health IT Strategic Plan last week, expanding it significantly over the plan released last year. This year’s plan, which covers goals to be accomplished between 2015 and 2020, is a result of ONC’s collaboration with 35 Federal partners, […]

State healthcare marketplaces, created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), have made improvements over the past year, but problems still exist, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Healthcare.Gov, the Federal healthcare marketplace, has been plagued by problems since it went live in 2013, submitting the Federal government […]

Telehealth virtual consultations are expected to grow by more than 10 million over the next five years, according to research firm IHS, which projects these consultations to go from 16.6 million this year to 26.9 million by 2020. According to Nancy Green, global practice lead for healthcare strategy and thought leadership at Verizon Enterprise Solutions, […]

Here’s the latest wrinkle in the global data trade: Customers are trading privacy for lower insurance rates. Insurer John Hancock and global wellness firm, Vitality, are both willing to cut your premiums – but only if they can track your activity. […]

An Arizona company called Local Motors plans to open a 45,000 square-foot 3-D car printing location at the National Harbor in Maryland, reports the Washington Post’s Jonathan O’Connell and Arelis R. Hernández. Local Motors hopes their new plant will lure inventors, engineers, and consumers in hopes of designing a personalized vehicle. […]