Healthcare IT leaders across the country are moving toward introducing evidence-based care tools into clinician workflows, with regard to the development of order sets for computerized physician order entry systems as well as in the context of the medical diagnosis process. This month's cover story, which begins on page 10, takes a look at the choices that providers are making in building a foundation for evidence-based care.

As providers progress toward meeting meaningful use goals, the quality of information is crucial. The article on page 18 examines how the meaningful use framework highlights the value of data warehouses and business intelligence tools.

Going paperless is a goal that has proven to be out of reach for many hospitals. But there is hope: the story on page 24 outlines how document imaging can provide a potential interim step to meeting that elusive goal.

Meanwhile, community-based health information exchanges are emerging as a useful model to support sharing of clinical data. The article on page 28 describes how one healthcare technology firm characterizes various HIEs with an eye to achieving that goal.

In the arena of financial management Paul Conocenti, senior vice president, vice dean and CIO of NYU Langone Medical Center, gives his take on revenue cycle management, and its relationship with clinical processes. The one-on-one interview with HCI Editor-in-Chief Mark Hagland begins on page 36.

At this year's Medical Group Management Association conference, held in October in New Orleans, Mark caught up with top IT leaders, who weighed in on key policy issues in one-on-one interviews. In an exclusive interview on page 40, David Blumenthal, M.D., ONC national coordinator for health information technology, weighs in on the latest developments around meaningful use. In a second interview, beginning on page 42, William F. Jessee, M.D., discusses the results of member surveys around Medicare's sustainable growth rate.

Finally, in this month's Career Paths column on page 48, Tim Tolan offers an essential checklist that hiring managers can use to avoid common mistakes that may shortcircuit the interview process.

Healthcare Informatics 2011 January;28(1):6