Electronic Systems

Doctors who have access to computer test results order more tests than doctors who don't, according to a new study that challenges an assumption about electronic health records. The study in the March issue of the journal Health Affairs found that doctors with access to computerized images ordered 40 to 70 percent more imaging and lab tests. The study authors warn that pushing for more health information technology might not deliver cost savings from reductions in duplicative or inappropriate tests and could drive up costs.

Xerox officials said Sunday they had resolved a technical glitch that left those who use food stamps in Maryland and 16 other states without access to their benefits the day before. The outage, which Xerox said was caused when the electronic benefits system temporarily shut down during a routine systems check, left many in Maryland and across the country unable to buy groceries for most of the day Saturday. Xerox has a contract with the federal government to administer the electronic benefits system.

Since Westinghouse Electric Corp. put its defense business on the block 11 days ago to help pay for the $5.4 billion acquisition of CBS Inc., the focus has shifted to who might acquire the company's Linthicum-based Electronic Systems division and what will happen to the 14,000 workers, more than half of them in Maryland.Analysts don't expect Westinghouse to have any difficulty selling the division, which had sales of $2.5 billion last year. Electronic Systems is widely viewed as well run and positioned to benefit from its strong technology base as the Pentagon spends money on electronic equipment to put new life into old planes and ships rather than buy new ones.

Northrop Grumman on Wednesday notified about 60 people, primarily in Maryland and Virginia, in its electronics systems segment that they will be out of jobs at the end of the month. In October, the aerospace and defense contractor announced it was cutting its electronic systems staff by up to 350 positions. About 280 people accepted voluntary buyouts, but "the number of volunteers did not reduce our headcount to the extent required," Jack Martin Jr., a Northrop Grumman spokesman, said Wednesday.

Westinghouse Electric Corp. agreed yesterday to sell its Knoll Group, which manufactures office furniture, for $565 million in cash.Knoll, which is one of the country's largest manufacturers of office furniture, is to be acquired by Warburg, Pincus Ventures L.P., an affiliate of E. M. Warburg, Pincus & Co., a New York-based financial services organization.The sale is expected to be completed in the first quarter.Westinghouse disclosed earlier this month that it planned to sell the defense operations of its Linthicum-based Electronic Systems division and another unidentified unit to help pay down its debt from its $5.4 billion acquisition of CBS Inc.Yesterday's transaction indicates that the Maryland-based defense arm of Westinghouse might bring more money than some analysts first thought.

Northrop Grumman on Wednesday notified about 60 people, primarily in Maryland and Virginia, in its electronics systems segment that they will be out of jobs at the end of the month. In October, the aerospace and defense contractor announced it was cutting its electronic systems staff by up to 350 positions. About 280 people accepted voluntary buyouts, but "the number of volunteers did not reduce our headcount to the extent required," Jack Martin Jr., a Northrop Grumman spokesman, said Wednesday.

It's nail-biting time for employees at Westinghouse Electric Corp., including its 8,500 workers in Maryland.There is widespread speculation that the Pittsburgh-based company will announce the sale of as many as four of its operating divisions this week to help help pay for its $5.4 billion acquisition of CBS Inc.According to analysts who follow the company, Westinghouse may announce the sale of major assets as early as this evening.Top executives of Westinghouse, including Chairman and Chief Executive Michael H. Jordan, are scheduled to meet with securities analysts tomorrow morning in New York.

A Wall Street adage says you buy on the rumor and sell on the news. That happened to Westinghouse Electric Corp. yesterday, part because the announcement that Westinghouse would keep most of its industrial companies while selling its defense business left investors thinking that an old dog of a stock was still up to old tricks.After edging up to a 52-week high of $17.875 early yesterday, the stock withered as the market absorbed Westinghouse Chairman Michael H. Jordan's announcement. Westinghouse closed down 50 cents at $17."

Maryland's largest manufacturing employer officially was placed on the market yesterday when Westinghouse Electric Corp. announced that it is seeking a buyer for its giant Linthicum-based Electronic Systems division.Michael H. Jordan, chairman and chief executive of Westinghouse, announced plans for the sale during an 8:30 a.m. meeting with securities analysts in New York.Within the hour, the state's top economic development official was in contact with local Westinghouse officials to see what the state could do to ensure that the jobs stay in Maryland.

Westinghouse Electric Corp., which said it will aggressively seek ways to slash debt in the wake of its deal to acquire CBS Inc., is unlikely to sell its Linthicum-based electronics unit any time soon, industry analysts said yesterday.Analysts contend the Pittsburgh-based conglomerate will look to sell other divisions or parts of divisions and keep its Electronic Systems Group, a highly profitable business that churned out $165 million in operating profits last year.If Westinghouse decides to put Electronic Systems on the block, though, it could fetch $2 billion and erase a sizable chunk of the company's debt, analysts said.

The specter of federal budget reductions has meant hundreds of jobs lost at Northrop Grumman Corp. in Maryland, but as the defense contractor vies to build a key Navy radar system, that same cost-cutting pressure could boost the importance of Northrop's Baltimore-area operations, company leaders said. The company, along with rivals Raytheon Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp., is a finalist for what could be a $16 billion program to supply the next-generation radar system for Navy surface ships.

Behind the scenes - and several forests' worth of pulp - work is underway to transform Maryland's courts into a system that is nearly paperless. Plans call for the first courts in the state to go electronic in fall of 2013. The guinea pigs are the circuit and district courts in Anne Arundel County. Statewide appeals courts will follow. By the end of 2016, all Maryland courts are to be e-courts. The cost: $45 million, said Ben C. Clyburn, chief judge of the District Court and who heads the project.

Doctors who have access to computer test results order more tests than doctors who don't, according to a new study that challenges an assumption about electronic health records. The study in the March issue of the journal Health Affairs found that doctors with access to computerized images ordered 40 to 70 percent more imaging and lab tests. The study authors warn that pushing for more health information technology might not deliver cost savings from reductions in duplicative or inappropriate tests and could drive up costs.

Northrop Grumman Corp.'s plan to eliminate as many as 800 jobs — the second steep reduction for the Linthicum-based Electronic Systems division this year — could presage cutbacks by other federal contractors and further blows to the state's economy. Federal deficits — and a budget-cutting mood in Washington — have left Maryland companies less and less able to rely on government work, analysts said Thursday. Defense giants such as Northrop Grumman are particularly vulnerable, they said.

Judges enveloped by mountains of paper, clerks pushing carts piled high with files and people traveling to the courthouse just to look at documents — all could become obsolete in Maryland, as the judiciary moves toward an electronic courts system. "Right now, you go to court and you say, 'Can I see the file?' [Soon] there won't be a file," said District Court Chief Judge Ben C. Clyburn, who heads the e-court advisory committee. Instead, people will be able to view a virtual file online.

Northrop Grumman wins quality product rating Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. said Friday that its Electronic Systems campuses in Baltimore and Norwalk, Conn., have been given the highest rating possible for the quality of its products and services by an industry/government coalition. Both campuses design, develop and manufacture advanced electronics for military, civil and commercial use. The rating, an assessment of the company's engineering and organization, is a designation of CMMI, or Capability Maturity Model Integration.

Employees at Westinghouse in Linthicum have reached out to less fortunate families to provide food, clothing and toys.Electronic Systems Group Publications and Services employees amassed $1,200 in donations to purchase items in the annual collection, started in 1987.Nearly 200 employees donated time to clean toys, pack clothes, sort food items and load furniture for 30 families in the Baltimore region.The corporate headquarters chipped in with 32 hams to be given to families whose names were obtained in part from the Anne ArundelCounty Department of Social Services.

Northrop Grumman wins quality product rating Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. said Friday that its Electronic Systems campuses in Baltimore and Norwalk, Conn., have been given the highest rating possible for the quality of its products and services by an industry/government coalition. Both campuses design, develop and manufacture advanced electronics for military, civil and commercial use. The rating, an assessment of the company's engineering and organization, is a designation of CMMI, or Capability Maturity Model Integration.

A nearly 20-year-old Maryland State Police helicopter that crashed in darkness and fog over the weekend, killing four people, was not equipped with an advanced electronic system that helps prevent pilots from slamming into the ground in low-visibility conditions, federal transportation officials said yesterday. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said they were still working to determine the cause of the crash in Prince George's County, the deadliest incident in the 38 years state police have been flying medical evacuation missions.

As Howard County health officials prepare to launch an ambitious health access program for uninsured residents this fall, they have obtained funding for an innovative electronic application system designed to simplify what can be a complex and tedious paperwork process. County officials learned recently that a state grant for the computer-based system, considered an important element of the program, has been approved. The system is used for similar government programs in 10 California counties, and in some parts of Arizona and Indiana.