News From Around the Web
> The Delaware Health Information Network and the Kansas Health Information Network were able to securely exchange patient records with each other using ICA's CareAlign tools, the Nashville, Tenn.-based health IT company announced today. The transaction was facilitated Harrisburg, Pa.-based AlliedHIE's Allied Direct system. "What is exciting about this connection is that patients no longer have to be concerned that their important medical records may not be available when they travel across the country," Laura McCrary, executive director of KHIN, said in a statement. Announcement
> Kansas City, Mo.-based electronic health record company Cerner, aiming to beef up its Millennium and CoPath solutions, this week acquired Peterborough, Ontario-based Labotix Automation, which develops an open automation solution for clinical laboratories. Announcement
Health Finance News
> Healthcare prices in January rose only 1.5 percent from January 2012 prices, marking the lowest healthcare price growth since December 1997, according to a new report from the Altarum Institute. Meanwhile, January 2013 health expenditures grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent compared with January 2012, for the fifth consecutive year of moderate spending growth. Article
Health Insurance News
> Health Care Service Corporation, which already agreed to buy Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, now has upped its purchase price for the insurer by nearly $23 million. However, that offer is contingent upon Montana insurance regulators agreeing by March 30 that they will approve the deal. HCSC originally agreed to spend $17.6 million for the Montana Blues plan last November, bringing the purchase total to almost $41 million.
Medical Imaging News
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last week issued a proposed decision memo to reverse a requirement that FDG-PET scans of patients with solid tumors be reported to the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR). In theory, this should make it easier for PET providers to receive reimbursements, since CMS requires them to report such data in order under its coverage with evidence development (CED) requirement. Article
And Finally… Imagine if all deadlocked elections were settled this way. Article