News From Around the Web
> The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives on Monday announced that George McCulloch, former deputy CIO at Nashville-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center, now will serve as the organization's executive vice president of membership and professional development. McCulloch will be responsible for promoting CHIME's expansion initiatives, and also will oversee certification. Announcement
> New research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research examines the use of Twitter by four medical networks--the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians--with an eye on analyzing their theoretical dissemination potential versus their actual dissemination. Among several recommendations for the groups, the researchers say that they should develop more cohesive communities of shared followers. Study
Health Finance News
> Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) increased among hospitals and health systems in 2013, according to a new analysis by Kaufman Hall. Last year, hospitals and health systems announced 98 new combinations, a three percent increase from the previous year and a 51 percent increase from 2010, the analysis found. The acquired organizations' total operating revenue was $32.3 billion. Article
Health Insurance News
> Health insurers are worried about keeping up with regulatory changes and maintaining compliance. But these challenges present significant opportunities for insurers' CIOs to improve operations with open architecture and real-time views. Article
Provider News
> More experienced nurses deliver better patient care and shorten length of stay, according to a study published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. As experiences nurses leave, hospitals hire new nurses and temporary contract nurses, both of which significantly decrease productivity more than is attributable to changes in nurses' skills and experience, wrote researchers from Columbia University School of Nursing and Columbia Business School in the research, "Human Capital and Productivity in a Team Environment: Evidence from the Healthcare Sector." Article
And Finally... Not too chicken to do something different at prom? Article