Decoupling in the recovery and what it means

CIO Executive Edge/Mark McDonald: About 18 months ago the idea of decoupling was all the rage. Decoupling was the concept that the economic fortunes of Asia and the West were no longer strongly intertwined. Stock market analysts and economists postulated that the US and Western Europe would go into recession, but China and its domestic growth rate would keep Asia in positive territory. Those views turned out to be incorrect as the global financial crisis hit everyone, everywhere hard.

Meaningful use will be a balancing act, experts say

Complying with the government's "meaningful use" definition to qualify for federal incentives will require a balancing act between improving patient care and using IT, according to experts. Martin Harris, MD, CIO at the Cleveland Clinic and a member of the government’s Health IT Policy Committee views the proposed meaningful use definition, unveiled on Dec. 30, as designed to engage patients and families, while ensuring privacy and security.

Press releases and other news

• How colleges can better nurture startups
  Source: ReadWriteWeb

Wisconsin Health Information Organization elects Larry Rambo as chairman

Larry Rambo, regional CEO of Humana, has been elected chairman of the nonprofit Wisconsin Health Information Organization, a collaborative group of insurers, hospitals, physicians, major employers, health care quality organizations and government agencies. Rambo is among the founders of the Wisconsin Health Information Organization, and early leadership from Humana in Milwaukee played a key role in securing the involvement of other insurers and health care organizations statewide.

Implementing privacy policies

Boardroom Perspectives/Jerry Norton: We’ve all received them. Privacy policies are often tucked in with our utility bills, brokerage house statements or credit card statements. Business managers and the legal department are relieved when these customer-related policies are established and sent out; however, IT staff typically experience an additional twist of stress. They know they must implement internal controls for those policies. This article analyzes the features of eleven companies’ policies in the financial services, telecommunications and retail industries. It concludes with six practical implementation suggestions for the IT staff.

Blumenthal: EHRs will become 'an absolute requisite' for docs

It may seem unlikely today, but within the next 10 years there will be widespread use of electronic health records across the country, the nation's health IT chief predicted Thursday. David Blumenthal, MD, the national coordinator for health information technology spoke at the 18th National HIPAA Summit in Washington DC, where other federal officials and stakeholders said the adoption of healthcare IT is urgent.

Press releases and other news

• How to run an online contest
  Source: ReadWriteWeb
• U.S. Scientists given access to cloud computing
  Source: New York Times
• Portable technology causing trouble in courtrooms
  Source: WISC.com

Improving business processes is a core expectation of IT

CIO Executive Edge/Mark McDonald: When asked CIOs estimate that 80% of their business processes are automated or supported by IT. The strength of this connection ties changing business processes and applications together. It also changes the scope and role of IT in the enterprise. Improving business processes has been one of the CIOs top expectations from the business for the last five years. In 2005, 44% of the CIOs responding to that year’s survey indicated that it was among their top 5 priorities.

NanoRite to be used for biosensing research

David Klemer will use his new tenancy at NanoRite to pursue “research on microelectronic devices for biosensing applications.” Klemer expects to use gallium arsenide seminconductors, a technology pioneered by Chippewa Falls native Seymour Cray. Dr. Klemer believes the NanoRite Center is ideal for prototype device fabrication.

Press releases and other news

• Apple gets a patent for sharing location data during calls
  Source: ReadWriteWeb
• EPA biofuels guidelines could spur production of ethanol from corn
  Source: Washington Post

Six Pixels of Separation: Stop lurking and step it up on social networks

Social Meteor/Troy Janisch: Social media can drive a company’s revenue, awareness and success in the marketplace — but not from the sidelines. To achieve success, companies need to stop lurking, stop selling and spend more time engaging customers. Six Pixels of Separation, by Mitch Joel, challenges business owners to be ACTIVE and AUTHENTIC in online communication. The book, which reads more like a blog than a hardcover, offers good insights in short, digestible bursts.

Stem cells: Science, economy edge regligion at the polls

When it comes to stem cell research as a political issue, Wisconsin voters are more likely to be motivated by ideas of economic benefit and scientific progress than by religious objections, according to a new report. The study explored the influence of stem cell research in the context of the 2006 race for Wisconsin governor when support for stem cell science was a key campaign issue.

Scope of proposed electronic discovery rules debated at public hearing

A petition to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for new rules governing discovery of electronically stored information (ESI) stirred debate during a Jan. 21 public hearing regarding the reach of the rules. Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Richard Sankovitz told the justices that Wisconsin has yet to see many cases involving electronic discovery and that the Wisconsin Judicial Council had merely submitted a “modest” petition “to stay ahead of the curve” in an emerging area of law.

Manpower makes a tech move

As it released better-than-expected quarterly earnings Tuesday, Manpower Inc. announced a $431 million acquisition that expands its presence in high-skill engineering and computer technology positions. The world's third-biggest temporary staffing and job recruitment company said business is rebounding. It forecast its first quarterly sales increase in more than a year in the quarter that began in January.

Press releases and other news

• Study links excessive Internet use to depression
  Source: Reuters
• Plexus Corp. in Neenah names Steve Gearhart chief information officer
  Source: Postcrescent.com

Groundhog day predicting the weather, technology and economic outlook

CIO Executive Edge/Mark McDonald: Today is Groundhog Day and in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania USA the groundhog saw its shadow meaning six more weeks of winter. At the same time CIOs responding to the 2010 Gartner CIO Survey indicate that 2010 will be another tough year for their enterprise and therefore for IT.

Obama eyes health IT to bolster federal bottom line

President Barack Obama submitted on Monday a $3.8 trillion federal budget request to Congress for fiscal year 2011. The president said he plans to make healthcare reform – and healthcare IT in particular – a major part of his long-term plans to put America back on track financially.

Press releases and other news

• Five reasons to wait for iPad 2.0
  Source: ReadWriteWeb
• A little chip designed by Apple itself
  Source: New York Times

Why high-speed rail decision is a victory for Wisconsin and the I-Q Corridor

Inside Wisconsin/Tom Still: Since the 1960s, Wisconsin has largely stood by while other states aggressively competed for their fair share of federal grants and aid. That bottom-quartile performance among the 50 states is why Wisconsin has long been known as a “tax donor” state, meaning its taxpayers contribute far more to the feds than they get in return.

Two-week notices, nickel beers, and rotary telephones

Carlini's Comments/James Carlini: These are all things of the past. Where are any places you can get a nickel beer today? How do you text or send a picture on a rotary phone? Two week notices? You must be kidding. Leaving on the day of your resignation helps you avoid potential liability and other problems.

Does my city make me look fat? Four ways you and your city can firm up

Next Generation/Rebecca Ryan: Gen Xers and Millennials are the first generations to be raised with pee-wee sports, Title IX, and the President’s Physical Fitness challenge. So why are obesity levels rising? Is you city making you fat? Maybe. A child born today will spend about 85 percent of her life indoors and another 4% in an enclosed vehicle. Not only does this disconnect us from the natural world, it makes us sedentary...and fat.

Press releases and other news

• Down to business: What could doom the IT recovery?
  Source: Rob Preston for InformationWeek
• 'Citizen cartographers' map the microcosms of the world
  Source: Washington Post
• ERP: How and why you need to manage it differently
  Source: CIO.com