Morning Headlines 3/26/14

HHS Strategy to Address Information Exchange Challenges Lacks Specific Prioritized Actions and Milestones

The GAO publishes a review of HIE efforts being undertaken in four states, and finds that cost, insufficient data standards, problems with patient record matching, and concerns over variance in state privacy laws are all collectively dragging down progress. 

Uncertainty clouds federal Test EHR Program

Providers are struggling with the technical aspects of trying to use ONC’s Designated Test EHR Program to validate their ability to exchange health data with other vendor systems.

A better flu tracker using Twitter, not Google

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and George Washington University have developed algorithms that track the spread of flu using Twitter data with a 93 percent accuracy.

IMS Health IPO could value company at up to $6.97 billion

IMS Health, an analytics firm focused on aggregating and reselling prescription drug data, prices its IPO at $18 – $21 per share, valuing the company at $7 billion.