Category Archives: telemedicine
Fee For Service On Life Support in Michigan –New BCBS & Trinity Contract Sets Industry Example
The new contract between Trinity Health (Trinity owns a dozen hospitals in Michigan that include Saint Mary’s Health Care in Grand Rapids and Mercy Health Partners in Muskegon, both of which now operate under the Mercy Health banner) and BCBS of Michigan puts a heavy spotlight on reform era reimbursement models. This deal highlights the latest and preferred compensation mentality –one that eliminates fee for service in favor of putting the focus on patient outcomes instead. BCBS and Trinity both refer to the agreement as a “value-based contract,” saying it should improve care quality and drive costs lower, not only [...]
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Premier & Phytel Partner to Provide More Comprehensive Ambulatory Care Solutions
Premier has partnered with Phytel to more fully automate population health services. The partnership enables a more comprehensive population health suite allowing providers to manage patient care more efficiently, with better understanding of outcomes and total cost. The solution uses predictive analytics to profile an entire population, not just those who have been treated. The intelligence garnered can more effectively support emerging care delivery and risk management models as providers participating in accountable care organizations (ACOs) are reimbursed based on quality and cost overall. Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO participant Thomas Auer, MD, CEO of Bon Secours Virginia Medical Group, [...]
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A New Way to Perform Physicals –The Smartphone Physical– Debuts at TEDMED 2013
A forward thinking team of medical student-engineers has designed a checkup of the future, called the Smartphone Physical. At this year’s TEDMED, a company called Nurture (a Steelcase brand dedicated to providing user-centered solutions in healthcare), and a leading medical technology and innovation blog called Medgadget, have joined forces with these students to showcase the Smartphone Physical, a comprehensive physical examination conducted by minimal equipment that connects to an iPhone. Together, they are embracing TEDMED’s theme of “unexpected connections” to provide one-of-a-kind physicals to attendees. Delegates will be offered a series of quick diagnostic tests using devices connected to an iPhone to [...]
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Oh No! An mHealth Device Tax?
In a hearing yesterday by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on the regulation of the mobile health (mHealth) application market, Benjamin M. Chodor, CEO of Happtique, Inc., an mHealth solutions company, addressed questions relating to the regulation of the rapidly-growing mobile health market. The hearing, “Health Information Technologies: Harnessing Wireless Innovation,” is the first of three hearings on health information technology scheduled for this week by various Energy and Commerce Subcommittees. Noting that more than 40,000 health apps exist on the market to assist healthcare professionals deliver and improve patient care, Chodor [...]
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Cardinal To Acquire AssuraMed, Direct-To-Home Distributor for $2.07B
Late last week, Cardinal Health announced plans to acquire privately held AssuraMed, another Ohio-based healthcare concern and leading provider of medical supplies to chronically ill patients in the home. The price? $2.07 billion. The acquisition will be financed with a combination of $1.3 billion in new senior unsecured notes and the remainder in cash. The deal is expected to close by early April this year. “AssuraMed is a natural extension of the Cardinal Health businesses and of our mission to be essential to care. The acquisition of this industry leader allows us to serve the growing number of Americans treated in [...]
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Wearable Computing – Next Gen Accessories
Although it’s far too early to predict a winner, the race to own the “dominant wearable computing platform” is in full gallop. Yes, the faces change, but the names remain the same. Google, Apple and Microsoft. Could there be anyone else? Google: Google Glass is already out there. It’s one of the few wearable computers people have actually seen and used, so if there’s any advantage to being the “first mover,” Google’s got it. Google has also got Android –a powerful and established application development environment with a huge installed base –so there should be no shortage of interesting and [...]
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2013: Five Top Healthcare Trends –An Entrepreneur’s Take
Healthcare Matters would like to welcome the following guest post from Melissa Thompson, CEO of Talk Session, an online counseling platform that will soon connect users with professionals for on-demand, mobile therapy. Melissa offers her opinions on five trends that will dominate the healthcare front in 2013. We know where the analysts stand, so let’s consider an entrepreneur’s take. Despite the regulatory difficulties, 2013 will surely be an exciting year for healthcare. We will see an increase in self-management and collaboration. We will see an influx of innovation in mainstream health-related consumer products, data will be more readily available, and [...]
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Cerner’s Middle East Joint Venture Produces First Major Contract
King Saud University (KSU) and Cerner have signed a strategic collaboration in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to provide electronic health record (EHR) systems for two of KSU’s hospitals, King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), a 950 bed hospital and King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), a 200-bed hospital. The first hospital called King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital (KAUH), originally founded in 1956, specializes in ENT and ophthalmology and has a diabetes center. The second hospital, King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), is highly recognized, fully staffed and equipped acute care facility. Demonstrating how business gets done in the Middle East (for westerners), the contract was [...]
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Best of 2012: Video Taping Surgical Procedures — Reform Era Theatrics?
Surprisingly, doctors aren’t very good at complying with well-established best practices. One New England Journal of Medicine study found that only 50% even follow evidence-based guidelines when applicable. Let’s face it, the elimination of variance is about standardizing wherever and whenever possible. And these days, with reform-driven new compensation models as the backdrop, VAT teams and change management initiatives are all about enforcing new definitions of value. Getting everyone to comprehend a new standard is one thing; driving compliance is always another. Fortunately, there is readily available technology that could work wonders: cameras. Cameras are already being used in health [...]
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Novation Releases Paper Exploring How to Quantify the Benefits of Mobile Technologies
Mobile technology is changing the landscape of health care delivery, especially in the developing world where its impact on people who live in remote areas –who now have the ability to consult with the physicians, nurses and other healthcare workers who live in the major cities, can be easily measured in terms of improved outcomes. It’s life and death stuff. Said Dr. Alain Labrique, a professor of International Health at Johns Hopkins, “what mobile technologies are doing is changing the way that we see global health in terms of our ability to impact populations, to collect data in real time, [...]
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Baxter Acquires Gambro AB –Renal Supply Markets Further Consolidate
Baxter International announced today that it would buy privately held Swedish dialysis product company Gambro AB for about $4 billion ($2.8 billion in cash plus debt) to complement its kidney therapy portfolio. Baxter will finance the deal, which it valued at $26.5 billion Swedish kroner. Baxter reported cash reserves of $3.2 billion as of Sept. 30, and posted a $2.2 billion profit last year on revenue of $13.9 billion, so its pockets are plenty deep. The Gambro acquisition will round out Baxter’s renal business, which accounted for almost one-fifth of the company’s 2011 revenue of $13.89 billion. Gambro was founded [...]
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Friday Rant: Making “Meaningful Use” of Communication Technologies Too
It’s common knowledge that doctors are leaving private practice in droves. Sixty-one percent of independent physicians are now seeking employment, and the majority of those doctors say that the government requirement for them to adopt and show meaningful use of an electronic health record (EHR) is one of the big reasons, a new Accenture report finds. That’s remarkable to me. I know a dozen doctors who are currently negotiating the sale of their private practices and all of them are doing it for the same reason –more money and security. None of them mentioned EHRs. Said Kaveh Safavi, MD, managing [...]
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Microsoft’s Biggest Announcement in Years Falls on Deaf Ears
Do you remember the days when a major Microsoft announcement –like the latest Windows release—was met with the same kind of consumer enthusiasm as say, a new Apple product? Don’t you remember the media coverage of the geeks among us (or within us) standing in line all night long to buy the latest version of Windows? In case you haven’t heard, Microsoft just released Windows 8. Not an insignificant upgrade to the computer market’s most prolific operating system, but a major new release that is being promoted as a complete “makeover” designed to create a consistent look and feel across [...]
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Compensation For Coordinated Care –Early Adopters Waiting
With everyone focused on ways to improve care while reducing costs, the patient-centered medical home concept is on the rise. Better-coordinated care compels significant improvements in the frequency, timing and quality of communication between patients and doctors (or a doctor’s staff), so a great deal of attention is being focused on how to optimally make that happen. Is something truly innovative going on out there? Not really. What is happening is the “wall’ is coming down and basic communications tools –like email and telephones—are finally being used appropriately. Being able to send an email to your doctor to request a [...]
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The Pendulum Swings Back: Apple Loses in the UK
Apple keeps throwing its mud up against the wall, but this time it didn’t stick. As noted by Reuters, the U.K.’s Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision, which found that Samsung did not infringe on Apple’s design patents with its Galaxy Tab tablet – partly because the Tab was “not as cool” as the iPad. Here’s what happened: In July, Judge Colin Birss of the High Court ordered Apple to post a note on its website and publish an ad in magazines and newspapers to say that Samsung did not copy Apple. Essentially, the judge ordered Apple to [...]
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The World’s First Fully Integrated “Smartphone Meter”
Philosys is an interesting, decade-old contract R&D, design and manufacturing firm that you’re likely going to be hearing about. Based in South Korea, but now entering the US market with operations in New York City, the company has specialized in bringing innovative diagnostic technologies and solutions to the global healthcare marketplace. And it seems right on time with the release of its newest product, called the Gmate SMART. The first in its class and weighing in at less than 2 ounces, the Gmate SMART is being billed as “the smallest, most innovative blood glucose meter in the world.” Why should [...]
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- Healthcare in the Cloud: Forecast Still Hazy : HIMSS 2013: Top Takeaways Gathering Clouds said: [...] to David McCament’s mind, the future of healthcare cloud is not so clear. In a gue... more
- Time Definite Logistics –MNX Expands Global Network and Adds Track & Trace : Daniel said: Everything is very open with a precise description of the issues. It was definitely inform... more
- Varian Runs a “Clinic” in Effective Lobbying –Harry Reid Rides Shotgun : Thomas Finn said: Thanks for your comment Bo. I do not fully comprehend the differences between the two opti... more
- Varian Runs a “Clinic” in Effective Lobbying –Harry Reid Rides Shotgun : Barton 'Bo' Cooke said: Tom, you nailed it. This rider, put in at the last minute and was rushed into the Congres... more
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