All large hospitals in Colorado now on a health information exchange; Aetna brochures post Social Security numbers;

News From Around the Web

> All hospitals in Colorado with more than 100 licensed beds are either connecting or connected to a health information exchange network, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization announced this morning. Overall, 29 hospitals are connected to the CORHIO HIE, with 15 more in the process of connecting. Announcement

Health Insurance News

> Aetna inadvertently included more than 18,000 students' Social Security numbers on health insurance brochures the insurer mailed out across the country. A University of Virginia outdated computer program provided the Social Security numbers and other information to Aetna, which offers health plans for the university's students. Article

> Premiums for some policies sold on the health insurance exchanges next year will cost far less--up to 18 percent lower--than initially predicted, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) said Thursday. In a new report, HHS concluded that silver plans, considered to be middle-of-the-road plans, will cost about $321 a month, compared to last year's estimates from the Congressional Budget Office that silver plan premiums would average $392. Article

Provider News

> Participating in a Society of Hospital Medicine mentoring program appears to help hospitals reduce 30-day readmissions, according to a study published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. Hospitals participating in Project BOOST (Better Outcomes by Optimizing Safe Transitions) reduced their average 30-day rehospitalization rate by 13.6 percent, the study found, falling from 14.7 percent to 12.7 percent after one year in the program. Comparable hospitals that did not implement BOOST saw a slight increase in readmissions, from 14 percent to 14.1 percent. Article

And Finally… That flower is so dead. Article