MaSSSoftech

On one proposal for health care reform at least, there is a rare bipartisan consensus: the push to computerize patient records.
The goal of moving paper medical records into the digital age has been championed for years by health care policy makers across the political spectrum, from Hillary Rodham Clinton to Newt Gingrich. As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama, too, was an advocate, and the economic crisis opened the door for an ambitious step — $19 billion put into the recovery package to encourage doctors and hospitals to install and use electronic health records.

So even as the Obama administration and Congress struggle with broad health policy legislation, the technology industry is pursuing the opportunity in digital health records as never before. Although most of the government money will not start flowing until next year, the companies hoping to get their share include technology giants like General Electric, I.B.M. and the big telecommunications company, Verizon. Also in the hunt are smaller health technology specialists like Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks and Practice Fusion.

On Thursday, Dell, the personal computer maker, plans to join the scramble in earnest, announcing its plan to form a partnership with hospital groups around the country to offer electronic health records — hardware, software, consulting services and financing — to their affiliated physicians. Dell, like the other players, sees the big opportunity as being in offices with 10 doctors or fewer, where three-fourths of the nation’s physicians practice medicine.

To proponents, electronic health records, when thoughtfully set up and deployed, are a modern tool to improve care and help curb costs. They hold a patient’s health history, medications, lab tests and, when connected to databases, treatment guidelines. The potential benefits include fewer unnecessary tests, reduced medical errors and better care so patients are less likely to require costly treatment in hospitals.

But doctors in small offices have not moved to digital records, mainly because today’s technology is costly and complex.

What is needed, experts agree, are new models of delivery and easier-to-use technology to reduce the expense and technical headaches. The proposed offerings are typically bets on the new Internet-based service model, known as cloud computing, in which much of the computing firepower and data reside in remote data centers, which doctors, nurses and staff would use via the Web browsers on their personal computers.

Faster networks, improved wireless connections and more affordable tablet PCs or small desktops promise to make the shift to digital patient records less cumbersome these days. But technical assistance and user guidance are also needed. And several companies plan to offer bridge financing to doctors to ease the burden of initial investment costs until the government begins making payments, which can be up to $44,000 for each doctor, from 2011 to 2015.

Dell plans to act as the hardware supplier and general contractor, working with partners like eClinicalWorks, a maker of electronic health record software, and Perot Systems for data-center hosting, if the medical groups outsource that task.

Dell already has pilot projects under way with a few hospital groups, including Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston and Tufts Medical Center in Boston. This year, Dell announced it was teaming up with Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart, to offer the hardware, software and services for electronic health records to doctors in small practices.

“The technology has to be a simplified, affordable package for physicians,” said Jamie Coffin, general manager of Dell’s health care business. “We’re really going after this market in a concerted way.”

The government’s effort to try to encourage a market in digital health records, experts say, faces formidable hurdles. The risk is that physicians buy lots of computer hardware and software, but see no improvements, leaving a legacy of wasted money, angry doctors and disrupted care for patients.

“It’s certainly a gamble,” said Dr. David J. Brailer, former national health information technology coordinator in the Bush administration. “But I do think the net effect is going to be a lot of new efforts at innovation.”

In many large medical groups, like Kaiser Permanente and the Mayo Clinic, all the doctors use electronic health records. Yet over all, only about 17 percent of America’s physicians are using computerized patient records, according to a government-sponsored survey published last year in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Encouraged by the stimulus financing, many companies besides Dell are hurrying to help lift that percentage considerably.

G.E. is an established supplier of electronic health records that work as traditional personal computer software. The company, said Vishal Wanchoo, chief executive of G.E.’s health information technology business, has recently done a lot of prototype work on how to make the shift to digital records easier and less costly for small practices. Early next year, G.E. will offer a data-center hosted version of its electronic health records, delivered over the Internet. “It will help us reach more physicians,” he said.

EClinicalWorks has added four data centers in the last year, bringing the total to 10, for hosting electronic health records as a service over the Internet. The company offers its records both as conventional PC software and as a Web service. “The software as a service is where the biggest growth is,” said Girish Kumar Navani, president of eClinicalWorks.

The state of Kentucky has opened registration for the third-annual Kentucky e-Health Summit.

The event is a gathering of business, technology, health care, academic and government leaders interested in the development of a statewide electronic medical records system. It is being presented by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky e-Health Network Board.

The summit will be held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Hyatt Regency Louisville.

“The promise of improving the lives and health of Kentuckians is the driving force to developing a health information exchange,” Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Janie Miller said in a news release. “The goal of Kentucky’s efforts is to improve health care by using technology and collaboration to provide Kentuckians with health information that will improve quality of care, reduce medical errors and save lives.”

The summit will include discussions on health care reform and the role of health information technology, and federal stimulus funding available through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

There will be representatives on hand from the Office of the National Coordinator, as well as the World Health Organization, the National Governors Association, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and other health information technology organizations.

Online registration can be found at http://ehealth.ky.gov/board/Pages/e-HealthSummit2009.aspx.

NASHUA, N.H., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- PennWell's Electronics Media Group is
announcing the launch of a new portal website, www.ElectroIQ.com. The new
site, focused on electronics and electronics manufacturing, provides a gateway
to the content of five different PennWell brands: Solid State Technology,
Photovoltaics World, Advanced Packaging, Small Times and SMT. Each brand
powers one of the five sections of the new site: semiconductors,
photovoltaics, packaging, nanotech/MEMS, and surface mount technology,
respectively.

Users can easily navigate through these branded sections and associated topic
centers to find a wide variety of content, including technical articles,
industry news, product updates, videos, white papers, webcasts, blogs,
podcasts, upcoming events, magazine archives, and more. The site also features
search and advanced search functionality that allows users to find relevant
content across all five brands.

Christine Shaw, senior vice president in charge of PennWell's Nashua-based
Technology Group, said: "ElectroIQ is a true portal that enables 'one-click'
access to five different web sites, while also providing a way to access
information that pertains to multiple industries. No other publishing company
has as wide an array of publications devoted to electronics manufacturing, and
I'm delighted that we can now serve our audience with increased functionality
on our new software platform."

ElectroIQ.com runs on PennWell's Platform 7, a next generation content
management system and web platform, consisting of a modular set of
functionalities, as well as best practice processes. Other recently deployed
portal sites within PennWell include OptoIQ.com, DentistryIQ.com and
PennEnergy.com.

"From a content perspective, the reasoning behind ElectroIQ is simple," said
Pete Singer, Editorial Director of PennWell's Electronics Media Group.
"Increasingly, similar process technologies are being applied across the
various industries addressed by our five different brands. Screen printing of
conductive pastes, for example, is used in printed circuit board assembly as
well as photovoltaics manufacturing. 3D integration is an advanced packaging
concept, but largely uses semiconductor front end process type steps. MEMS are
integrated and packaged with energy harvesting devices and thin film
batteries. The list goes on, up and down -- and across -- the entire supply
chain."

With topically aligned content, ElectroIQ delivers information readers need to
make decisions about selecting new technologies, products and suppliers.
"ElectroIQ also allows our readers to easily see what technologies are being
implemented in related industries and how they might leverage those for their
own businesses," said Singer.

"Not only does ElectroIQ better meet the information needs of our audiences,
but the portal approach allows us to offer a more effective marketing platform
to the vendors in these markets," said Diane Lieberman, group publisher. "Now
we can provide our business partners everything from broad branding and
awareness programs across the entire electronics manufacturing ecosystem, to
highly targeted lead generation programs tightly aligned to brand-specific
relevant content and audience segments."

SMT publisher Karen Watkins weighs in on the printed circuit board (PCB)
market. "ElectroIQ is a logical way to maximize synergy among PennWell
electronics brands, as content providers 24/7 for both semi and board
manufacturing. Our new portal continues to give both readers and vendors the
impact of established, focused, separate brands, but now also adds the
breadth, range, and strength of having the franchises under a single
umbrella."

Coinciding with the new launch, PennWell's Electronics Media Group has been
restructured and expanded. Debra Vogler, based in San Jose, will handle all
technical feature content and submissions for our four semiconductor brands:
Solid State Technology, Advanced Packaging, Photovoltaics World and Small
Times (dvolger@pennwell.com). Jim Montgomery (jamesm@pennwell.com) is
responsible for news posting and wire news feeds. Please direct press releases
and news leads to him. New to the team is Steve Smith (stevesm@pennwell.com),
who has taken on Managing Editor responsibilities. Heading up SMT editorial
efforts is Meredith Courtemanche (mcourtemanche@pennwell.com), who continues
to handle all editorial submissions and inquiries, for SMT feature articles,
technical content, and news.

About PennWell Electronics Media Group

Solid State Technology, focused on front-end semi manufacturing, is the most
complete source of information for engineers, operators, managers, tool and
materials suppliers and semiconductor researchers. Our website provides daily
updates and news in the electronics industry as well as access to magazine
archives. Web Topic Centers include Device Architecture, Facilities,
Lithography, Materials, Inspection, Subsystems, Industry News and Wafer
Processing.

Advanced Packaging, focused on back-end semi packaging, covers IC packaging
processes, including 3D integration wafer dicing, die placement, die attach,
wire bonding, encapsulation/molding, lead forming, solder bumping, package
inspection, package test, laser marking, singulation, packing and shipping.
Web Topic Centers include 3D Integration, Wafer Level Packaging, Test and
Inspection, Materials and Equipment.

Photovoltaics World, the newest member of PennWell's Electronics Media Group,
covers photovoltaics manufacturing and solar power generation, including solar
cell design and manufacture. Web Topic Centers include Silicon Photovoltaics,
Thin Film Solar Cells, CPV, Equipment and Materials, Test and Reliability, and
BOS Components.

Small Times is the leading source of business information and analysis about
nanotechnology and MEMS (microelectro-mechanical systems), covering a broad
range of applications, including medical and biotech, energy and environment,
defense, electronics and microsystems. Web Topic Centers include MEMS,
Materials, Energy and Environment, Research and Development, Life Sciences and
Medical and Tools and Equipment.

SMT is focused on engineering solutions for surface mount assembly of printed
circuit boards, and covers news, products, analysis, opinion, and technology,
including applications needed by process, production, and manufacturing
engineers and managers. SMT serves PCB manufacturers operating as Contract
Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS)
Providers, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and Original Design
Manufacturers (ODMs). Web Topic Centers include Assembly, Cleaning, Design,
Printing, Soldering, Test and Inspection and Business.


About PennWell Corporation

PennWell is a diversified business-to-business media and information company
that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the
following global industries: oil and gas, electric power, water, electronics,
semiconductor, contamination control, optoelectronics, fiber optics, computer
graphics, enterprise storage, information technology, fire, emergency services
and dental. Founded in 1910, PennWell publishes 75 print and online magazines
and newsletters, conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents,
and has an extensive offering of books, maps, directories, web sites, research
and database services. In addition to PennWell's headquarters in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, the company has more offices in Nashua, New Hampshire, Houston,
Texas, London, England and other locations worldwide. www.pennwell.com

RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 9, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation
(NYSE:NOC) and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) today
announced the appointment of Samuel Abbate as Northrop Grumman's vice president
of the Virginia Information Technology Infrastructure Program.

A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/

In this role, Abbate is responsible for the company's overall program management
of the partnership between Northrop Grumman and VITA. This 10-year, $1.9 billion
partnership is modernizing the state executive branch's IT infrastructure and
providing expertise and resources to support improved delivery of government
services.

"Sam is a seasoned executive with more than 27 years of experience in program
and enterprise leadership of large-scale IT infrastructure programs," said Tom
Shelman, vice president and general manager, Civil Systems Division for Northrop
Grumman Information Systems sector. "His considerable technical and program
management expertise will contribute to the successful completion of a modern
and robust IT infrastructure environment for the Commonwealth."

"The VITA restructuring, the addition of a new Northrop Grumman program manager
and reorganizing into customer teams will greatly increase our ability to serve
our agency customers," said George Coulter, chief information officer for the
Commonwealth of Virginia. "Sam Abbate's knowledge and experience bring great
value to the program, and I am pleased he will be on board to assist."

Coulter said Abbate's appointment is designed to complement the VITA
reorganization, announced yesterday, and that Northrop Grumman will participate
in customer service teams with VITA staff.

Most recently, Abbate was vice president and program manager for the company's
New York City Wireless Network program, a citywide mobile wireless network for
public safety personnel and other city agencies. In that role, he led the
successful delivery of the largest, private municipal wireless broadband
infrastructure network in the country.

Previously, Abbate served as director and deputy integrated product team leader
for electronic support and attack systems within Northrop Grumman. He has also
served in a variety of management positions including program director for the
Increased Capability III program (ICAP-III), where he was responsible for the
development and successful fleet deployment of the next generation electronic
warfare system for the EA-6B electronic attack tactical aircraft.

Abbate earned a bachelor's degree from the New York Institute of Technology,
N.Y., and a master's degree from Long Island University, N.Y.

VITA is the Commonwealth's consolidated technology provider responsible for
infrastructure, governance and oversight of major IT projects, security,
enterprise solutions, and procurement of technology-related goods and services
on behalf of state and local governments. www.vita.virginia.gov

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000
employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace,
electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to
government and commercial customers worldwide. www.ngc.com

Some of the country's top technology companies will participate in a new pilot program to change the way U.S. citizens access and participate in government Web sites, hoping to further the openness and transparency goals set by the Obama Administration's Open Government Initiative.

AOL, Acxiom, Citi, Equifax, Google (NSDQ:GOOG), PayPal, Privo, VeriSign (NSDQ:VRSN), Wave Systems and Yahoo (NSDQ:YHOO) are among the organizations that said in a joint statement Wednesday they would support initial pilot programs in single authentication for government Web site access from the Open ID Foundation (OIDF) and Information Card Foundation (ICF).

The goal of the pilot is to increase the way Web surfers interact with the federal government by giving them a single authentication protocol -- an OpenID user name -- to access government Web sites. In practice, all users would need is a single OpenID to look up information through, say, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or download documents from the Federal Communications Commission.

"This comes at a critical time in the history of OpenID, of which there are now well over 500 million OpenID-capable accounts in the wild," wrote Chris Messina, a member of the OpenID Foundation, in a Wednesday blog post. "Given the wide deployment of this technology, it only makes sense that the government should leverage this wide potential user base to facilitate interaction with its citizens."

The open identity initiative will be piloted with HHS, the U.S. Center for Information Technology, the National Institutes of Health and other agencies. The government will certify participating technology companies under the federal Identity Credential and Access Management Trust Framework Adoption Process.

Federal CIO Vivek Kundra is scheduled to discuss the pilots and other open government initiatives Thursday at the Gov 2.0 Summit in Washington D.C. (Gov. 2.0 is co-produced by TechWeb, whose parent company, United Business Media, is also the parent of Everything Channel.)

ODIF and ICF were quick to underscore how the pilots encourage citizens to interact with government but not compromise their personal information.

"Open government cannot and will not compromise either security or privacy," said Drummond Reed, executive director of the Information Card Foundation, in a statement. "By working with private industry, the U.S. government is harnessing the innovation and efficiencies of the open market and letting citizens choose their preferred means of engaging with government agencies."

The idea of openness and transparency in government technology -- and collaboration with private sector thought leaders -- has been a staple of President Obama's White House, as well as in the agendas of Kundra and CTO Aneesh Chopra.

It's high on the minds of solution providers, too, whotold Channelweb.com they are continuing to adapt solutions for a government that embraces Web 2.0, social networking advances and cloud-based solutions more than ever before.

Executive to Focus on Advanced Technology Initiatives to Better Serve Customers, Accelerate Business Innovation

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Cross Country Home Services, Inc. (CCHS), the leader in helping companies drive revenue and customer loyalty through a comprehensive set of home warranties, home service plans and homeowner emergency assistance programs, today announced the appointment of highly experienced IT executive, Joel Steigelfest, as the company's Chief Information Officer (CIO). The appointment demonstrates CCHS' continued commitment to the use of advanced technology to accelerate business innovation and deliver the highest levels of customer service.

"There is no doubt that the strategic use of advanced technology is one of the best ways we can deliver the highest levels of customer service," said Sandra C. Finn, President of CCHS. "Joel is a great addition to CCHS' management team, bringing tremendous energy and experience to our business innovation initiatives."

With over 24 years of information technology experience, including 13 years at major corporations, Steigelfest now has responsibility for the management of CCHS' information technology organization.

Prior to CCHS, he served as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Spherion, a Fortune 1000, publicly-traded (NYSE) company providing global staffing and recruiting services. While there, he reduced the company's overall information systems cost structure, upgraded to a high-performance production environment, and delivered business intelligence solutions. Earlier, Steigelfest held IT management and executive positions at United Stationers, IBM, Ryder and Kemper Insurance. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics from Tulane University, and a Masters degree in business administration from the University of Miami.

About Cross Country Home Services

Cross Country Home Services, Inc. is the leader in helping companies drive revenue and customer loyalty through a comprehensive set of home warranties, home service plans and homeowner emergency assistance programs. For nearly 30 years, CCHS has provided programs for major clients in the financial services, insurance, real estate and utility industries, as well as affinity groups. The company is focused on operational excellence - from client support, service network management and marketing, to customer service - to ensure that its clients' programs run smoothly and deliver results. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CCHS is a member of the Cross Country Group, one of the largest privately-held providers of customer service programs in the United States. For more information, visit http://crosscountry-home.com.

Webcast Scheduled for October 6, 2009 at 1:15 p.m. Eastern Time
STAMFORD, Conn.--(Business Wire)--
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT), the leading provider of research and analysis on the
global information technology industry, today announced that Gene Hall, the
Company`s chief executive officer, and Chris Lafond, the Company`s chief
financial officer, will participate in the William Blair & Company 2009 Emerging
Growth Stock Conference at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The Company`s
presentation is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday, October 6,
2009. A link to the live webcast of the presentation will be available via the
Company's web site at http://investor.gartner.com. A replay of the webcast will
be available for approximately 90 days following the call.

About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world`s leading information technology research
and advisory company. We deliver the technology-related insight necessary for
our clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT
leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in
high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology
investors, we are the indispensable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,000 distinct
organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive
Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, we work with every client to
research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their
individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford,
Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,000 associates, including 1,200 research analysts
and consultants, and clients in 80 countries. For more information, visit
www.gartner.com.