Government & Policy
Meeting is intended to encourage global focus on reducing risks of an influenza pandemic.
The United Kingdom has released its second influenza pandemic contingency plan since March, while the United States still works to develop and release its plan.
VA officials promise lawmakers they will centralize the agency's billion-dollar information technology budget in the CIO's office to control spending.
A national network for exchanging digital health info can reduce health care fraud, a panel of experts reported yesterday.
Legislation introduced in Congress would give the CIO control over the department's entire technology budget.
But funding shortage to deal with avian flu could be fixed through Defense appropriations amendment.
The policy advocate group, made up of the heads of some of the biggest information technology companies, has inserted itself into the debate over a national health information network.
Health experts hope technology can help them detect and contain outbreaks of avian flu.
Two grants totaling $8.3 million will support research projects to increase the use of information technology.
George Washington University and others will assess the progress the nation is making toward adopting health information technology.
