Using an EHR and automated office blood pressure checks together, one research team is applying 21st century solutions to the problem of diagnosing hypertension.

The international cardiovascular information system (CVIS) market is expected to reach $211.3 million by 2018, for a 7.9 percent increase from 2013, MicroMarket Monitor predicted.

Is big data turning hospital systems and physicians into Big Brother? Bloomberg News detailed how hospitals use consumer data derived from credit card transactions and public records to profile current and potential patients. Hospitals see the process as a way to identify high-risk patients and intervene early but advocacy groups call it an invasion of privacy.

In a nod to telemedicine, the Federation of State Medical Boards drafted a law that would allow physicians certified in a medical specialty to treat patients in other states without applying for multiple licenses.

Internet-connected computers that aren’t configured securely are a weak link in hospital systems that could be exploited to hack into control systems for implanted pacemakers, according to Wired.com. The report previewed Shakacon, an IT security conference.

Whether patients required follow-up for statins, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening or one of 22 other care gaps, Kaiser Permanente unveiled electronic tools for catching outpatient problems early, as described in an article published June 26 in eGEMs.

Mount Sinai Heart at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has created an innovative Center for Medical Devices (CMeD) to advance the field of cardiovascular medicine and accelerate the delivery of promising medical devices to cardiac patients. Julie Swain, MD, an experienced cardiothoracic surgeon and medical device expert has been recruited by Mount Sinai to help lead this pioneering initiative.

Telehealth offers a way to expand outreach and simultaneously improve population health. And for a cardiology enterprise, it might not be as expensive you think, according to the director of telehealth and telecardiology at the Minneapolis Heart Institute.