ford health system

As the auto industry flounders, hospitals in the Detroit area are facing layoffs, the Detroit News reports. The Dearborn, Michigan-based Oakwood Healthcare system is cutting 250 jobs as a consequence of declining admissions. Nearby William Beaumont Hospitals plans to eliminate as many as 170. Other local hospitals, like Detroit Medical Center, confirm that admissions have slipped by about three percent per month since late last year.

"What's happening with the autos is …

The Henry Ford Health system will participate in a pilot project designed to test the effectiveness of online consultations. The University of Michigan is participating in a concurrent but separate project. Supporters have argued for years that online consultations can help improve physician efficiency and improve the quality of care. Several players, including RelayHealth, have been trying to develop a business in online consultation technology, but adoption has been slow.

- read this Detroit Free Press article

> Juke Systems is marketing software that allows consumers to store personal medical information on their cell phones and mobile devices. Article (sub. req.)

> The Washington Post examines the controversy over the vagus nerve stimulator, a pacemaker implant designed to treat depression developed by Houston's Cyberonics.  …

More encouraging news about ePrescribing this morning as the Henry Ford Health System (and its subsidiary Health Alliance Plan) is trumpeting its successful implementation of a system backed by PBM giant Medco and the big auto makers. As expected, ePrescribing reduces medical errors and increases the use of generics (and hence lowers drug costs for payers). That's why ePrescribing is …

The Henry Ford Medical Group filled more than 500,000 prescriptions during the first year of one of the largest ePrescribing projects in the country, according to sponsors. The ePrescribe Initiative is a joint initiative of General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler and the Henry Ford Health System. The technical aspects of the project are being managed by Medco. Organizers certainly have reason to be pleased. They claim more than 80,000 prescriptions were changed after drug-interaction …

Pharmacy benefits manager Medco will conduct a pilot study funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to assess the value of e-prescribing in economic and clinical terms. The project, which is likely to be closely watched within the industry, will track the South East Michigan E-Prescribing Initiative (SEMI) over the next two years. The initiative will look at the program's impact for employees of General Motors, Ford Motor and DaimlerChrysler. On the healthcare side, BCBS …

> The Food and Drug Administration said it will send hundreds of doctors and regulators to the Gulf Coast to help the relief effort, a move which may strain the agency's resources. Story

> A new CDC report finds that 2.5 million kids in the US are receiving drug-based …