CACI wins $14 million contract to support VLER; Software error leads to breach of info for Missouri Medicaid recipients;

News From Around the Web

> Arlington, Va.-based government contractor CACI announced this week that it will provide development support on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program with a $14 million, 18-month contract, further expanding the company's presence in the healthcare market. The contract is one of 25 that CACI has received under the $91 million VLER prime contract, which the company initially won in October 2010. Announcement

> A software programming error by an outside contractor for MO HealthNet, a Medicaid program in Missouri, caused correspondence to more than 1,300 beneficiaries in the state to be mailed to the wrong addresses between Oct. 16, 2011, and June 7 of this year, Health Data Management reported. MO HealthNet officials learned about the breach--in which names, dates of birth, phone numbers and partial Social Security numbers were compromised--on June 6. Article

Provider News

> A high-pitched battle between rival healthcare organizations in Pittsburgh took another turn for the worse this week when University of Pittsburgh Medical Center--the region's largest healthcare system--sued Highmark for false advertising. It's not the first time the healthcare adversaries have sued over false advertising that allegedly violated the federal Lanham Act. Article

> Efforts to combat obesity in America received a boost last Friday with the Institute of Medicine's release of a report that will provide guidance for systematic and routine planning, implementation, and evaluation of obesity prevention efforts. Less than two months ago, the American Medical Association voted to recognize obesity as a disease, making it a medical condition requiring treatment that should be covered by insurance. Article

Mobile Health News

> Researchers at National Taiwan University in Taipei have taken to heart the phrase lying through one's teeth. They have developed a sensor that can be fitted into a tooth or dentures to enable doctors to determine if their patients are telling the truth about their smoking and eating habits. Article

And Finally... Keeping this surprise party a surprise was nearly unbearable. Article