Daily News Archive

Tuesday, May 29th

"I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabrics of their life."  – Leo Tolstoy

 

The Picks of the Day

SEC Makes Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance A Little Easier

“In a move that will put a smile on the faces of large and small financial services firms, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has approved guidelines that will make it easier – and less costly - to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  Meanwhile, the PCAOB body that oversees auditors, has voted on changes to audit rules too.”

http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/blog/archives/2007/05/sec_makes_sarba.html

As you can imagine, this change resulted in a lot of media coverage:

http://www.exchange-handbook.co.uk/index.cfm?section=news&action=detail&id=67149

http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20070528074338445

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7007456742

 

Peel brings privacy issues 'front and center': profile

“The way Peel tells it, her patients now include every U.S. patient, whose medical privacy is being unethically and even illegally invaded by healthcare’s paparazzi—the multibillion-dollar medical data-mining industry—and the pharmaceutical and insurance companies the data-miners serve. She also believes federal officials are hell-bent on promoting healthcare IT, but aren’t listening to patients' concerns that their most intimate information, once digitized, could be lost, stolen or stored and held against them.”

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070514/FREE/70514003/0/FRONTPAGE

 

Healthcare Costs and U.S. Competitiveness

“Factoring in costs borne by government, the private sector, and individuals, the United States spends over $1.9 trillion annually on healthcare expenses, more than any other industrialized country. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical School estimate the United States spends 44 percent more per capita than Switzerland, the country with the second highest expenditures, and 134 percent more than the median for member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). These costs prompt fears that an increasing number of U.S. businesses will outsource jobs overseas or offshore business operations completely.”

http://www.cfr.org/publication/13325/

[This is a very interesting article.  Note this data point they give:  “U.S. competitors abroad have also consistently outspent the U.S. government on healthcare IT investment—Rideout says the U.S. government invests forty-three cents annually per-capita on IT. The Canadian government, by contrast, spends thirty-one dollars per-capita.”

 

IT Audit / Internal Audit

2007 State of the internal audit profession study: Pressures build for continual focus on risk

“The ongoing migration to a more risk-based approach to internal audit has spawned a natural evolution with respect to the roles and responsibilities of internal audit and the scope of internal audit activities. A decade ago, only a relative handful of internal audit groups were taking a legitimate risk-based approach to the audit-planning process. Today, there is a growing recognition of the strong link between effective risk assessments and effective audit coverage.”

http://www.pwc.com/extweb/pwcpublications.nsf/docid/76357CE81F5CD43C852572D70060CCCA

 

IT Process Improvement / Quality Management

Improving Incident Management

“Incident Management is concerned with deviations from, and threats to, the standard operation of services. During the course of time, even the best services will have incidents. How IT reacts to them will be pivotal not just to operations in their drive to reduce mean time to repair and mean time between failures but also to customer satisfaction. As a result, many IT departments strive to find opportunities to improve their Incident Management process. One approach is to understand the expanded incident management lifecycle and look for means to improve each stage.”

http://www.spaffordconsulting.com/Improving%20Incident%20Management.html

 

Thoughts on Information Logistics – Part 1

“Information technology professionals frequently feel challenged about how to communicate with business people and senior management. Social psychologists estimate that anywhere from 40-60% of intended meaning is lost during the communication process. If you take this and factor in that 75% of the average person’s day is spent in some form of communication, be it speaking, writing or reading, then we have some very real lost productivity not to mention potential consequences arising from misunderstandings. If we look at communication, we can define it as the exchange of information for a purpose. To create a baseline of understanding about communication we need to define some base terms around the lifecycle of information.”

http://www.spaffordconsulting.com/Thoughts%20on%20Information%20Logistics%20Part%201.html

 

Thoughts on Information Logistics – Part II

“In the last article we set forth some baseline terminology around the processing of data into information. In this article we will review phases of information processing to better understand various phases of content production and delivery to the consumer.  At a high level, when looking at the information creation process we see that an event occurs and data is generated that is then acquired. Depending on the processes and technology involved the resulting content is then stored and/or processes for later or immediate use. With the needs of the consumer in mind, final processing and distribution takes place with cost and security considerations taken into account. Now let’s delve deeper into the steps.”

http://www.spaffordconsulting.com/Thoughts%20on%20Information%20Logistics%20Part%202.html

 

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Internal Control Seminars

Several of my colleagues have been presenting compliance-related seminars across the country for the past five years:  Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance, Corporate Governance, Internal Controls, IT Auditing, Fraud Prevention and Detection, and Information Security.  Cost effective best practices for internal control over financial reporting are presented in one-day seminars that offer 8 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credit.  The seminars are as entertaining as they are informative.

http://www.compliance-seminars.com

 

IT Execs Unmoved by Microsoft's Open-Source Gripes

“Microsoft Corp.’s claims that open-source technologies infringe on 235 of its patents irked some IT managers last week, while others said they viewed the patent offensive as nothing more than a standard corporate business tactic.”

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=open_source&articleId=293167&taxonomyId=88&intsrc=kc_top

 

Identity Theft: Expert Lauds Massachusetts' New Credit Freeze Law—Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security

“Both houses of the Massachusetts legislature recently passed versions of a bill that grants residents of the state the right to freeze access to their credit reports. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, said consumers' access to the credit freeze is an indispensable component of any identity theft–fighting strategy.”

http://www.fastpitchnetworking.com/pressrelease.cfm?PRID=10326

 

Security and Risk Management

TJX weathers fallout from data theft

“TJX Cos. yesterday said its first-quarter profit dipped 1 percent as the operator of discount stores including T.J. Maxx and Marshalls recorded a $12 million charge from a massive data breach and suffered soft March and April sales due to poor weather.”

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070516/BIZ/705160321

http://www.cnbc.com/id/18675547

 

China Crafts Cyberweapons

“The People's Liberation Army (PLA) continues to build cyberwarfare units and develop viruses to attack enemy computer systems as part of its information-warfare strategy, the U.S.  Department of Defense (DOD) warned in a report released on Friday.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20070528/tc_pcworld/132284;_ylt=Ar0ILXgF2GKzW4vPOey9i.IjtBAF

 

Healthcare / Bio-Informatics / Care Delivery Organizations (CDOs)

AMA Gives Docs Drug Decision Support

“The American Medical Association has introduced a free online tool that gives physicians evidence-based guidelines on treating specific medical conditions and enables physicians to compare their prescribing patterns to their peers.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=15197

 

Highmark Rolls Out a PHR

“Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield in Pennsylvania has introduced free personal health records software for its members.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=15195

 

IRS blesses EHR subsidies by hospitals

“After a long pause, the IRS has finally ruled that not-for-profit hospitals can help physicians on their staffs acquire EHRs without endangering their tax exemptions. While not identical to the wording of the government's Stark and anti-kickback-law exceptions, the IRS guidance covers the same items and services. But whether many hospitals will now move to subsidize physician purchases of EHR systems is still an open question.”

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=428115

 

Healthcare reform coalition trumpets health IT

“A new coalition of employers, medical societies, and healthcare organizations is pushing for healthcare reform that emphasizes the American Academy of Family Physicians' medical home model. Spearheaded by IBM, the coalition stresses the importance of EHRs, patient portals, and community health information exchanges. But its key goal is to change the way primary-care physicians are reimbursed so that they can provide better care.”

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=428120

 

HITSP Seeks Comments on Standards

“A standards panel is seeking public comment on new proposals for interoperability guidelines for electronic health records.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=15178

 

Kansas to Test Remote Home Monitoring

“Windsor Place At-Home Care, a Coffeyville, Kan.-based home health agency, will place remote patient monitoring devices in the homes of 50 patients.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=15167

 

Clinton adds health IT plank to presidential platform

“Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is putting health information technology high on her list of ways to rein in the country’s health care costs while improving the quality of care.

In a speech today outlining her presidential campaign platform for health care, Clinton proposed spending $3 billion a year to help doctors and hospitals implement health IT. In addition, she said she wanted to see a system of incentives for doctors to use the technology.”

http://govhealthit.com/article102787-05-24-07-Web

 

Human Error / Safety / Environment

Drug-resistant bugs on rise outside hospital-study

“Drug-resistant bacteria are infecting more people in community settings such as prisons and public housing, and not just in hospitals where such ‘superbugs’ can run rampant, researchers said on Monday.”

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28493608.htm

 

Human antibodies neutralise H5N1 – study

“Researchers in Switzerland have successfully immunised mice against the H5N1 strain of bird flu using human antibodies taken from survivors of the deadly virus, according to a study released today.”

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21812787-5001028,00.html

 

HHS launches blog on pandemic preparedness

“The Health and Human Services Department has unveiled a five-week blog on preparing for a potential flu pandemic.  The department enlisted 16 business, health care, faith-based and community leaders to post entries. The public is invited to respond and extend the conversation.”

http://govhealthit.com/article102818-05-25-07-Web

 

Outsourcing / Globalization / International

State Internet filters becoming more pervasive

“A study of Internet 'filtering' by the OpenNet Initiative - a collaborative effort involving researchers at Cambridge, Harvard, Oxford and Toronto universities - found evidence of it happening in 25 of the 40 countries investigated.”

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/12311/53/

 

China says 2007 trade surplus to exceed $250 bln

“China's trade surplus will reach $250-300 billion in 2007, driven by the country's price competitiveness and strong external demand, the top economic planner said on Tuesday.  China's surplus hit a record $177.5 billion in 2006. In the first four months of this year the surplus totaled $63.3 billion, up 88 percent from a year earlier.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070529/bs_nm/china_economy_trade_dc;_ylt=AhsqRwlTs1yx2rUDOdHhrkuyBhIF

 

China to catch up with US economy: world poll

“China is on course to catch up with the United States and join the front ranks of world economic powers, but that is little cause for concern even among Americans, a global survey said Monday.  But the same poll showed there is generally as much distrust of the United States as there is of China to ‘act responsibly’ in world affairs.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070528/bs_afp/uschinaeconomypoll;_ylt=Anj9KmwKDeaPt7dmOsOLbeayBhIF

 

Economics / Business / Misc.

U.S. colleges retool programming classes

“At risk, professors say, is nothing less than U.S. technology supremacy. As interest in computer science drops in the U.S., India and China are emerging as engineering hubs with cheap labor and a skilled work force.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070528/ap_on_hi_te/reprogramming_programmers;_ylt=AjG_sa4jZiQ5qh7kqFypsBfMWM0F

 

Get a life or just Google it - the choice is yours

“Internet search engine Google plans to target people's interests using data collected on its users Lesley-Anne Henry asks: is this the next logical step or the thin end of the orwellian wedge.  Google's declaration of intent to assemble the most comprehensive database of personal information has thrown down the gauntlet to civil libertarians.”
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/technology/article2589388.ece

 

DOD's high-risk culture

“Salespeople who promise leaps in technology are more appealing to DOD's leaders than modest peddlers who offer incremental improvements”

http://www.fcw.com/article102817-05-28-07-Print