The ONC Health IT Policy Committee's Consumer Empowerment Workgroup met for the first time Tuesday, outlining some of the policy questions that need to be addressed in the areas of care plans and shared decision making.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley praised the CRISP HIE in an ONC blog post, and outlined several new public health projects the HIE will be be supporting this year.

Over 3 days, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hear from witnesses about how to balance between innovation and regulation.

Bob Brown and Steven Waldren, MD, outline the goals and the need for their joint effort, the Cure Project. The gist: Harness the healthcare community to define what IT functions various care settings need to the benefit of both providers and vendors. Just don't get hung up on what the technologies are called.

Many state laws allow hospitals and other providers to keep costs hidden until they send you the bill. The Catalyst for Payment Reform consortium graded states on pricing transparency, and only two earned an "A".