News

"Historically, telehealth hasn't received the attention that it's deserved from the federal government," says Neal Neuberger, executive director of the Institute for e-Health Policy and president of Health Tech Strategies.

A new study by the National Center for Policy Analysis shows that states and the federal government could save $33 billion in prescription medication costs by switching to models used by Medicare and other private payers.

Poor childhood health caused by environmental factors, such as air pollution and exposure to toxic chemicals, cost the United States $76.6 billion in 2008, according to authors of a study in the May issue of Health Affairs.

Managed Health Care Associates, a healthcare service company focused on alternate site providers, has acquired Tidewater Group Purchasing from Omnicare, a Kentucky-based provider of pharmaceutical care for the elderly.

Amedisys, a Louisiana-based home health and hospice company, plans to acquire the hospice operations of Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.

Aetna has announced a collaboration with Mindbloom, a Seattle-based social media company, that will offer plan members an enhanced version of Life Game, Mindbloom's online social game for personal wellness.

Fifteen percent of U.S. nursing homes receive deficiency citations for infection control each year, according to a new study.

The Thomson Reuters Healthcare Spending Index for Private Insurance showed that costs to people covered under employer-sponsored health insurance rose at a rate of 5.8 percent last year, which was down from 6.6 percent in 2009.

Naples, Fla.-based Health Management Associates is negotiating the acquisition of seven hospitals from Mercy Health Partners - Tennessee, a subsidiary of Catholic Health Partners.

Hospitals across the country have been rocked by nursing strikes over the last year. The coming months show no letup, which means that hospitals will continue to face major disruptions, both financial and otherwise.