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After the federal government invested more than $30 billion, most hospitals and physicians now have electronic health record systems. Yet some software vendors who sell these things are tucking hidden fees — some small, some big — into the contracts, making it hard to deliver on the promise to share patient data. So the Department of Health and Human Services has released a sort of ‘how to negotiate’ guide to help doctors and hospitals sidestep contractual minefields and not get tripped up by the fine print. (Gorenstein, 10/12)

There seems to be no shortage of websites that aim to identify the top doctors and hospitals for patients. But a local nonprofit is throwing its resources behind a new site that allows St. Louis area consumers to compare area physicians and hospitals. ChooseWellSTL.org, which launches Friday, was developed by the Midwest Health Initiative, a new regional health improvement collaborative, with the goal of helping consumers see how area health care providers measure up. (Liss, 10/14)

Denver Health sent 250,000 appointment reminders and 2,000 well child check reminders to patients via text message over the past three years. Patients who got texts made it to their appointments 73 percent of the time, compared to a 66 percent attendance rate for those who didn’t, the historic safety-net hospital and community healthcare provider said. Now, a federal grant will allow Denver Health to expand its texting capabilities and tie those messages directly into patients’ electronic health records. (Rusch, 10/13)