Health-IT news articles usually follow a perennial pattern of loud hype followed by quiet failure. If what was at stake were not so important, the never ending raft of optimistic and un-critical press releases and articles about ‘progress’, ‘advances’ and ‘announced plans to’ would be a cause for amusement, guffaws and occasional cavorting at the lemming-like behavior of so many organizations and journalists touting the next big thing. To illustrate, here’s a list of recent news items for your reading pleasure. For further amusement, please use the following 3 ambulance scoring system for each of the projects described: 0 ambulances (succeed), 1 ambulances (fail), 2 ambulances (multi-million dollar fail) and 3 ambulances (multi-million dollar fail with firing) for their likelihood of success or failure. Let the fun begin!

1. Insurers Announce Interoperable PHR Model
2. My(Medical)Space: Social Networks, Blogs Turn To Health Care
3. Proposed Legislation Would Implement Quality Reporting System for Physicians
4. Major U.S. Employers Join to Provide Lifelong Personal Health Records for Employees
5. Vendor to Offer Web-based EHRs to Docs in Exchange for Data
6. RHIOs Will Lead Next Phase of NHIN program
7. Vermont to Announce Statewide
   RHIO
8. HHS Advances Nationwide Health Information Network Initiative
9. VA Moves IT Development, Management Under CIO