News
The electronic prescribing systems market is estimated to grow to $794 million, at a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent from 2012 to 2017, according to a new study by MarketsandMarkets, which analyzed major market drivers, restraints and opportunities around the world.
In the era of reform, healthcare providers will have to operate more like any other business by using the most efficient methods to deliver and pay for the most effective care, said a panel representing the banking industry and healthcare payers and providers during a business of healthcare session at the 2013 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition last week. Electronic transactions offer an attractive solution.
When it comes to implementing environmentally-sound practices in healthcare, there is philosophy and there is reality. Philosophically, proponents believe that recycling, reusing and reducing emissions are the right things to do. In reality, implementing environmentally-friendly practices can be expensive, difficult and subject to pushback.
Many sectors of the healthcare industry have adopted or are adopting electronic health records, but the behavioral health sector has been slow to bring the technology on board.
From the federal government to Wal-Mart, companies are pledging to hire military veterans, and whether signing on to national campaigns or starting their own, healthcare companies are joining the cause.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed allowing hospitals in the state to be owned and operated by businesses. Though most states already have business-owned hospitals, this will be a major change for New York state, which has one of the tightest-regulated healthcare industries in the nation.
Law firm Arent Fox has developed an innovative approach to speed up financing for pricey infrastructure and other capital-intensive projects for public and nonprofit institutions, including hospitals and some healthcare systems.
Between the federal deadline regarding electronic health records and the shift toward accountable care organizations, the call for interoperability of EHRs has never been louder. Patient information should be able to flow freely, the argument goes, between physician practices and hospitals across town and around the country.
Independence Blue Cross and regional provider Abington Health announced in late February they would leverage Lumeris' consulting and technology services to enhance their two-year-old accountable care initiative.
In early February, TransforMED announced that its founding president and CEO, Terry McGeeney had retired. Since TransforMED's formation as an offshoot of the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2007, the company has grown from an initial 16 employees to more than 60 today, and has helped more than 1,200 primary care practices in 40 states make the transition from a fee-for-service model to NCQA Level 3 patient-centered medical home.