The following are the 10 most popular health IT stories from March.
1. Epic decoded: An inside look at life and corporate culture at the center of the health IT world: Epic Founder and CEO Judy Faulkner discussed Epic's marketing-free success and what she hopes her employees gain in an exclusive interview with Becker's Hospital Review. Read more
2. EHR failure closes California hospital ED, nurses ask for investigation (Editor's note: Antelope Valley Hospital reached out and said the nurses' allegations were false. Here's their commentary on the incident): The National Nurses United/California Nurses' Association issued a news release alleging the emergency department at Antelope Valley Hospital shut down after its data system failed. A spokesperson for Antelope Valley Hospital told Becker's Hospital Review that the ED did not shut down. Read more
3. 50 things to know about Epic, Cerner, MEDITECH, McKesson, athenahealth and other major EHR vendors: As of May 2014, CMS has paid out a total of $14.6 billion in incentive payments to hospitals and health systems for the adoption and use of EHRs. These incentive payments, coupled with the looming threat of financial penalties for non-adopters and a need to better coordinate care, have driven providers to rapidly adopt EHRs over the past few years. The EHR market is expected to reach $9.3 billion annually by the end of 2015. Read more
4. 10 biggest technological advancements for healthcare in the last decade: The reach of technological innovation continues to grow, changing all industries as it evolves. In healthcare, technology is increasingly playing a role in almost all processes, from patient registration to data monitoring, from lab tests to self-care tools. Read more
5. MU stage 3 is out: 9 things to know: On March 20, CMS released its proposed rule for meaningful use stage 3, which is open for public comment through May 29. Read more
6. Epic defends its interoperability at Senate hearing: The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing March 17 discussing EHRs and meaningful use with four panelists representing different stakeholders in the industry. Peter DeVault, director of interoperability at Verona, Wis.-based Epic Systems, was the panelist representing vendors, and much of his testimony revolved around the IT giant's commitment and progress in interoperability. Read more
7. A cheatsheet for 25 health IT terms: Here's a straightforward guide to some of the hottest terms in health IT. Read more
8. A guidebook to MU stage 3's 8 objectives: CMS released its proposed meaningful use stage 3 requirements on March 20, outlining the final stage of the meaningful use program. Here is a breakdown of the proposed rule's eight objectives. Read more
9. Electronic health records: The good, the bad and the ugly: With passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act, EHRs have been widely adopted across healthcare organizations large and small. While there are many benefits to EHRs — improved accessibility to patient data, increased charge capture and improved preventative health — there are inherent problems in adopting this technology. Read more
10. Epic-CommonWell battle broils: Tensions among health IT giants were running high when Epic's director of interoperability criticized the CommonWell Health Alliance at a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions regarding the transformation of EHRs and the meaningful use program. Read more