Four Preview Videos in the Footer
Arizona Health Information Network Chooses OptumInsight (United HealthCare Company) for Their HIE Exchange–Subsidiary Watch
It seems everywhere you turn today with Health IT investments there’s a chunk of changed headed toward United. The company was an acquisition made by the large behemoth in August of 2010. If they can’t buy the exchange I guess the next best thing here is to get your subsidiary in action. We heard…
Bad Science and Bad Analytics That Misleads–TED Video Takes on Advertising on Steroids and Danger of Mis-Matched Analytics And Distortion of Clinical Trials (Video)
This is great and goes along with some of my recent posts with analytics on steroids for marketing only and also makes a point about what gets put in journals today too. Dr. Ben Goldacre, talks fast so listen up carefully, but he gets it. Fish Oil pills is one he takes on as well as coffee and ca…
SEC Sues Quant–Undisclosed Error in Trading Algorithm- Miscalculating “Risk”-Healthcare Software Evaluates This Factor Too
How often do we hear “risk” assessment in healthcare? If you are in the payable and IT side of it, all the time. It comes back again to the algorithms. In Health IT this is why we have the certification processes for medical records, but when it comes to the payment side and risk management done …
Oracle Announces Insurance Exchange Platform - Purchasing Health Insurance Platform–Available for State Governments
Not too long ago Microsoft announced their platform availability for state governments as well. The Oracle suite will connect with Siebel for CRM capabilities. With both big company offerings this leaves a couple options besides have to buddy with an insurance company offering. Actually this is b…
Blue Cross and AllScripts Going to Pick Up the Tab for Doctors Electronic Medical Records In North Carolina
This is interesting as Blue Cross doesn’t have a medical record program and I have said in the past the next move will be insurers buying up the EHR folks. NCPath is the name of the program and 85% of the tab will be picked up, except the free clinics will not have to pay at all. So it sounds like…
FDA Approval Given for Face Mask Designed for Children and Awards Pediatric R and D Device Grants
The mask is to be used in hospitals to reduce the spread of airborne bacteria and viruses and is designed for ages 5 to 12. In other FDA pediatric news the agency has given out grants for Orphan Product Development. We are starting to hear a lot about orphan diseases and the need for more research…
MelaFind Device Finally Given FDA Approval For Detecting Melanoma –It Took 7 Years
This has been a long haul for Melafind as back in November of 2010 the FDA panel approved the device, and here we are in September of 2011 with now jut getting approval. Below is a video from the Wall Street Journal that depicts some of the history on Melafind. New Melanoma Identification Devi…
Larry Ellison Announced As Distinguished Medical Informatics Awardee for His Contributions to Health IT and the Ellison Foundation From the Friends of the National Library of Medicine (NIH)
There are some other known recipients but this is Larry’s day in my book:) Dr. Oz is also in here for an award as well as other research and development individuals at the Howard Hughes Institute. Dr. Oz gets enough publicity and most of the time is on key. Larry Ellison is always in the press w…
Miami-Dade County Fires Deloitte Consulting–Couldn’t Get A Straight Answer, Those Algorithms and Complicated Legal Text Once Again Making It Tough For Mere Humans
This goes to an item the County needed clarification on and the Deloitte and their attorneys just couldn’t give them a straight answer, so they got fired. In reading this Deloitte asked the County if they had been properly following federal tax rules while making a 5 percent pre-tax deduction. Del…
Massachusetts Governor and Israel Chief Scientist Form Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership (MIP)–Applications Being Taken For Funding Biotech, Pharma, Medical Devices And More In Life Sciences
Full information on the project is at the link at the bottom of the post. This is an interesting relationship as Israel is known for their technology both in high tech and in life sciences. When you think of that Intel processor in your computer, think Israel because that’s where a lot of the sili…
Supreme Court Likely to Rule on Healthcare Law Early Next Year–This Gives The Justices Time to Rent Some Computing Space from the DOE As They Will Need It
Well after this amount of time and different interpretations we want to make sure that all data and information is included so we get it right. Why the DOE? They have the third fastest computer in the world and they do rent out space. HHS and the NIH have research running on it now so when it com…
Hoag Hospital Lays Off 175 Staff Members- St. Joseph Cutting 144–Layoffs Occurring Even Within the Affluent Areas of Country–All Comes Back to Reimbursement
Even in Newport Beach, California hospitals are feeling the pinch and you can read below it all comes back around to reimbursements. Hoag hospital works with Aetna Insurance’s IT subsidiaries (Medcity) to connect doctors and health data. In Health IT areas it’s getting down to the linking and comp…
Obesity Makes Way for a New Product Made in Canada, BEAR-iatrics to Restrain and Move Overweight Patients Inside Ambulances–No Special Equipment Needed
We have all heard or read the stories about those who are obese having to wait for special equipment at times to move them either during an ambulance ride or elsewhere and now this blanket type of product makes any cot one that can handle an overweight patient. It is called the Bariatric Equalizing…
United Healthcare (Optum) Owns A Consulting Firm for FDA Drug and Device Approvals, Clinical Trials–CanReg - Subsidiary Watch
Here of late, we hear about the big daisy chains of subsidiaries being built by insurance companies and here’s one more that consults with getting drugs and devices approved through the FDA. This is not brand new and has been a subsidiary for a while but with all the other entities being taken over…
Patient Dies Due to Medical Error at Hospital in Oakland Where Fill In Nurses Were On Duty During Nurses Strike
Everyone talks about disruption being good, well not always. A medical error was made by one of the contracted nurses filling in during the strike and death resulted. A wrong dose of medication was given that resulted in the patient’s death. This could have happened with regular employee nurses t…
