MaSSSoftech

Senior administration officials will formally announce a new $1.2 billion initiative to expand the use of electronic medical records by doctors and hospitals, according to McClatchy/Kansas City Star. Vice President Joe Biden, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. David Blumenthal, the President's e-health coordinator, will be at a roundtable discussion today in Chicago. The money will be used for grants to create 70 "Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers" and for improving "information sharing." In a statement, Biden said, "We are making health care safer; we're making it more efficient; we're making you healthier; and we're saving money along the way" (Talev, 8/20).