Digital Government

Most lab results still on paper, impeding push for e-health records

Lack of standards, multiple formats and thousands of clinical terms also make establishing a national health network complex and problematic.

Digital Government

Press Releases of the Day

From two quite loopy press releases I received today:

Digital Government

NASA issues $100 million integrated network contract

Procurement is second of five in major overhaul of IT management.

Digital Government

TSA 'Soldiers On'

A lot of troops will be coming home for the holidays, and the Transportation Security Administration <a href=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=57090>wants</a> them and their families to know it has special airport meet and greet procedures.

Digital Government

Bill calls for evaluation of jamming prisoners' illegal cell phones

Prisoners use mobile phones to run drug rings, plan jail breaks, and intimidate judges and victims, but industry argues blocking signals could interfere with police radios.

Digital Government

So Many Earmarks, So Little Time

The 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Bill bundles spending for six departments - Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, State and Veterans Affairs - into one Brobdingnagian pile of paper that makes it hard to figure out earmarks.

Cybersecurity

Technology a winner in conferees' consolidated spending bill

Committee gives millions of dollars more to IT programs, including cybersecurity, for fiscal 2010.

Digital Government

Not for Sale

I usually ignore reader comments (and I get some doozies) but the comment on the <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2009/12/a_100_million_dental_bill.php>$100 Million Dental item</a> I posted on Monday deserves a reply.

Digital Government

VA research center becomes second agency to win top quality award

High customer satisfaction, supported by IT, helps the clinical research pharmacy coordinating center win a coveted Baldridge award.

Digital Government

Super Fast Passport Service

I live in New Mexico, one of the 36 states whose drivers licenses will no longer qualify as identification for domestic air travel as of the New Year. That caused me to worry that I might <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2009/12/unreal_id.php>never return</a> from my holiday trip to Hawaii.

Digital Government

A $100 Million Dental Bill

I <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20091125_6460.php>reported</a> last month that the Military Health System plans to evaluate two competing applications for its dental electronic health record to make sure it fields the right system, including one it already sunk $100 million into, my sources close to the MHS Skyline HQ in Falls Church, Va., told me.

Digital Government

NASA launches $4.5B information technology consolidation project

First of five contracts in its $4.5 billion Infrastructure Integration Program is for Web services, including site creation and management, as well as collaborative tools.

Digital Government

How to Bury $187 million

I start many work days by trolling through upcoming procurements and contract awards on FedBizOpps.gov, a task somewhat akin to looking for needles in a haystack. Today I found some real interesting needles

Digital Government

NASA awards $355 million IT contract for Marshall Space Flight Center

Dynetics Inc. will provide a range of services that include security, telecommunications, applications, computers and audio visual systems.

Digital Government

A Combat Robo Doc

Navy field corpsmen who serve with Marine units probably are the best on-the-scene trauma care specialists in the world, but there's only so much one corpsman can do on the battlefield or during a medevac.

Digital Government

VA launches massive contract to buy IT equipment and services

The Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology program likely will spend billions of dollars to upgrade the department's technology infrastructure.

Digital Government

Army Modernizes V-Mail

The letter is routed via the Internet to one of 10 locations in Afghanistan where special equipment will automatically print, fold, address, stuff the message into an envelope and then seal it. The envelopes are then placed into the regular intra-theater mail delivery system.

Digital Government

HHS to award $220M in grants to support national health IT network

Communities that receive funds should leverage existing federal electronic programs such as the Defense and Veterans Affairs virtual lifetime health record.

Digital Government

Unreal ID

As everyone on the planet knows by now, all you need to attend a state dinner at the White House is either a red sari or a tuxedo -- and lot of chutzpah. But, and this is even stranger, unless something changes drastically within the next 30 days, I'm going to need a passport to take a domestic air flight.

Digital Government

VA, Kaiser testing the exchange of electronic health records

Veterans in the San Diego area who receive medical care will be invited to participate in pilot to test the fledging Nationwide Health Information Network.