Supply Chain

Overall U.S. healthcare prices increased marginally from March 2011 to April 2011, rising 0.1 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Management Health Solutions, a Fairfield, Conn.-based provider of supply chain optimization solutions for hospitals and healthcare systems, has unveiled 2-Bin Mobile Supply Chain, a new software solution designed as an enhancement to the company's CartCount module.

Business intelligence may sound “techie,” but it really isn’t.

Highmark Inc. recently announced it would launch a two-year, patient-centered medical home pilot project.

The Iowa Health System, a seven-hospital system based in Des Moines, Iowa, and Methodist Health Services of Peoria, Ill., have entered into a non-binding letter of intent to explore a strategic partnership.

The long-term care industry is one of the largest employers in the United States, yet its direct care workers are woefully underinsured, according to a new analysis.

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.

Lawson Software, which offers a wide range of business intelligence solutions that can be found in many of the nation's healthcare systems, has agreed to be acquired for roughly $2 billion by an affiliate of Golden Gate Capital and Infor.

The globalization of healthcare has provided opportunities for many organizations to rapidly develop their products and to expand their network of customers. But with this globalization, we also need to realize there are also a number of important economic and public health concerns.

Hospitals continue to see capital expenditure budgets increase while financial and supply chain executives are placing a greater focus on healthcare information technology (HIT) and patient safety, according to a survey published in the Premier healthcare alliance's March 2011 Economic Outlook analysis.