Which were the top healthcare IT vendors by revenue in 2010? This issue's much anticipated Healthcare Informatics 100 list, which begins on page 10, provides the answer, in a snapshot of the rapidly evolving healthcare IT vendor market. Just as important as the list per se, are the accompanying analyses that help to put the numbers in context: The analysis on page 42 provides insight into trends underlying the numbers, while the M&A report, on page 46, sheds light on major deals, plus a host of smaller-but still significant-acquisitions.

Rounding out the HCI 100 editorial package are three profiles of Most Interesting Vendors-Allscripts (page 50), OptumInsight (page 52), and Zynx Health (page 54), which give an inside look at the strategies being followed by three notable vendor companies. Our Up and Comers report, which appears on page 56, profiles six smaller, innovative companies that are worth keeping an eye on in the future.

Meanwhile, the feature story on vendor relationships, which begins on page 62, takes an in-depth look at how CIOs are rethinking their relationships with their EHR vendors, as their organizations move forward on meaningful use under the federal HITECH Act.

And the article on page 69 explores another aspect of meaningful use: How prepared are public health departments to accept health records electronically? Experts are divided on whether the transition from paper records presents an opportunity to engage the health community in a more coordinated and meaningful way, and whether public health agencies are unprepared to make the switch.

Quality is the focus of the article on page 73, which explains why comparative effectiveness research is the key to ensuring that consistently good healthcare is produced as inexpensively as possible throughout the enterprise. More than $1 billion in federal funding has been targeted to studies of new approaches to care for specific medical conditions.

Finally, in this month's Career Paths column, on page 80, Tim Tolan explains why behavioral style interviewing surpasses traditional interview questions as a way to predicting job performance of potential candidates.

Healthcare Informatics 2011 June;28(6):6