Friday, July 24, 2015
The IBM Center's Weekly Round Up highlights articles and insights that we found interesting for the week ending July 24

Doubt haunts federal employees following OPM data breaches, survey shows. Federal employees and other security-clearance holders do not trust the Office of Personnel Management to protect victims of the hacks on its databases, an exclusive Federal News Radio survey shows. Yet they’ll accept the agency’s credit- and identity-protection services. Moreover, they’ll continue to give OPM their sensitive personal information if it means they’ll keep their security clearances. VA’s impending shutdown to impact nearly all of its hospitals. The Department of Veterans Affairs will have to shutter some facilities beginning in August if Congress does not approve an emergency reallocation of funds, officials said Wednesday. Building an open environment for innovation. Federal IT leaders can more effectively promote innovation at their agencies by promoting an organizational climate that is open to risk and change. Study: HIEs Can Help Significantly Reduce Unnecessary ED Tests. A new study finds that leveraging data from health information exchanges can significantly reduce unnecessary laboratory tests and radiology exams at emergency departments. The study's principal researcher notes clinical liaisons, or scribes, could be key to realizing the benefits of HIEs. Modern Healthcare et al. Managing Change: The Key to a Successful Digital Health Revolution. The potential for health IT to dramatically improve the practice environment is undeniable, but we need to refine our approach. We must achieve interoperability, increase flexibility in the meaningful use program, improve the electronic health record vendor certification process, reduce costs and enhance security. 50 leaders in health IT. The field of information technology encompasses a variety of duties and responsibilities. IT leaders are tasked with guiding strategic vision for their organizations while also maintaining the day-to-day operations of systems. Here are 50 accomplished individuals in the health IT world, hailing from provider, vendor, political and consulting backgrounds. Individuals are presented in alphabetical order. Names were drawn up through internal research. John Kamensky Will the ROC Live? Federal News Radio reports: “Four powerful lawmakers are pressing the Treasury Department to explain why it has not yet ensured that some of the tools used by the Recovery Operations Center will live on after the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board ceases operations this fall.” The ROC, as it is affectionately known, is a central place for gathering and analyzing financial data from agencies to detect fraud. Are Your Personnel Records in China? Federal Times editor Jill Aitoro writes that security information hacked from OPM may be used to compromise login information into other government systems, among other nefarious uses. In the meanwhile, NextGov reports a bipartisan push in the Senate to grant the Department of Homeland Security sweeping powers over government networks for cybersecurity. Civil Service Reform on the Presidential Campaign Agenda. Government Executive headlines civil service reform proposals offered by Jeb Bush that include some old ideas – but topics related to internal government reforms are typically rare this early in the campaign season. The Business of Government Radio Show: Interview with Chris Hamm, director, FEDSIM. What is the mission of GSA’s FEDSIM? What are its strategic priorities? How does FEDSIM work with federal agencies? Join host Michael Keegan and he explores these questions and more with Chris Hamm, Director, Federal Systems Integration & Management Center (FEDSIM). Join host Michael Keegan and he explores these questions and more with Chris Hamm, director, FEDSIM, U.S. General Services Administration. Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Wednesday at noon, on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED. If you can't wait, though, you can listen to (or download) this week's program and all our previous interviews at businessofgovernment.org.