Baker responds to VA VistA report

Roger Baker, assistant secretary for information and technology at the VA, thanks the VistA advisory committee for its "exhaustive" report.

Is open source the cure for what ails VA's e-records?

An industry group convened by VA CIO Roger Baker is advising that VistA move to an open source platform and phase out MUMPS.

Health IT gets a $220M funding transfusion

The Health and Human Services Department will give 15 nonprofit organizations $220 million for health IT pilot projects.

IT included in Sebelius' top priorities for HHS

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released her top strategic initiatives for the department, which include health IT elements.

GAO finds $325M awarded to ineligible firms under SBA program

The Government Accountability Office found numerous cases of fraud while investigating 14 firms that falsely received federal contracts under the pretext of being small and disadvantaged businesses.

VA industry group ready to give advice on VistA

Ed Meagher, who chairs an industry group that advises the Veterans Affairs Department, is preparing recommendations for modernizing VistA.

Is VA the new model for managing IT?

After making headlines for putting 188 projects on the chopping block, VA CIO Roger Baker explains his philosophy behind managing IT contracts.

General Dynamics to support CMS program under $84M contract

A unit of General Dynamics Information Technology will provide IT and management services to support a Medicare prescription drug subsidy program.

Senate committee chairman suggests killing Boeing's virtual fence

Sen. Joe Lieberman questions the future of the SBInet virtual fence system is a failure.

188 VA projects on the chopping block

The Veterans Affairs Department has extended its program management system to all 280 IT projects and suspended spending on two-thirds of them.

HHS Open Government Plan deserves a visit

HHS is creating dashboards and datasets for open government, but shouldn't those principles also apply to simple HHS Web pages?

DHS is missing documents on noncompetitive contracts, IG says

The Homeland Security Office of Inspector General has issued a report on a pattern of missing documentation in departmental files regarding contracts awarded without full and open competition in fiscal 2008.

TSA contractors performed government-only work, IG concludes

TSA allowed contractors to review invoices for other contractors in apparent violation of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, according to a new report from the Homeland Security Department inspector general's office.

FDA launches 40 online performance management dashboards

The Food and Drug Administration has started its online performance management system that tracks agency performance measures on 40 Web-based dashboards.

AT&T wins $27M telehealth contract

AT&T was awarded a contract for a major project to deliver health care to remote areas via a broadband network with the California Telehealth Network.

Food safety legislation may ladle IT money to FDA

Sen. Durbin's bill would increase trace-back and surveillance of food-borne illness data but lacks specifics on how it would be done.

The emergence of the e-patient

The National Library of Medicine held a conference to highlight how patients are using health IT to help manage their own care.

AHRQ awards $44M for health IT support

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality awarded 12 task orders to help support training, Web sites, meetings and knowledge sharing for health IT.

Deepwater whistle-blower case moves forward

A federal judge on April 5 allowed part of the Deepwater False Claims act lawsuit to be dismissed but held that the remainder should go forward.

HHS awards $267M for health IT regional centers

The Health and Human Services Department funds centers designed to help doctors and rural hospitals use health IT.