After reconsideration, and a relentless lobbying campaign from health plans, CMS is giving Medicare Advantage insurers a .4% reimbursement increase as opposed to the initially proposed 1.9% cut. We are all for MA, but wonder if CMS intended this all along, is just caving in to political pressure or what is going on.
General Electric has acquired Canadian software firm CHCA Computer Systems, which makes operating room-related software, to add to its collection of health care information technology.
In a complicated transaction that appears to relieve some of the burden of supporting its financially struggling company-based clinic business, Walgreens has sold a majority interest in its TakeCare clinics to private equity firm Water Street, while Water Street was also buying a majority interest in the CHS employer worksite clinic business. Water Street intends to merge the two entities, which will have about 500 clinics.
IMS Health Holdings had a successful initial public offering, returning to the public markets with a 15% gain over the offering price of $20 per share.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=IMS&ql=1
Apr072014
Private equity firm Cinven has finalized its acquisition of clinical research company Medpace for almost a billion dollars.
The Association for Health Information Management has expressed concerns about the practice of many EHR vendors including paste and copy medical notes in their systems, warning that use of this functionality can lead to inaccurate medical records and poor quality.
Greater use of health information technology by physicians lessens the amount of personal time they spend with patients, potentially decreasing both provider and patient satisfaction and lowering the quality of health care, according to a recent survey.
According to research firm Global Industry Analysts the global market for health information technology will reach $66 billion by 2020, driven by desires for cost-savings, improvements in quality and new mobile technologies.
According to a study in the British Journal of General Practice, physicians tend to record higher blood pressures than do nurses, which likely reflects patient anxiety and may lead to over-diagnosis of hypertension.
http://bjgp.org/content/64/621/e223.full
Apr032014
Another Government Accounting Office report highlights the delays and cost overruns associated with the Department of Defense's EHR projects.
http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/662045.pdf
Apr032014
Riverside Company has invested in/acquired BeneSys, a large third-party administrator of employee health plans.
Tenex Capital has acquired Carex Health, which sells home medical equipment through mass retailers, and intends to combine it with portfolio company Roscoe Medical.
3M has completed its acquisition of Treo Solutions, which provides data analytics and other services to health plans and provider systems, and will combine the company with its Health Information group, which primarily offers coding, episode grouping and revenue cycle services.
The Healthy Skeptic is a website about the health care system, and is written by Kevin Roche, who has many years of experience working in the health industry. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.
The Healthy Skeptic is a website about the health care system, and is written by Kevin Roche, who has many years of experience working in the health industry. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.