News From Around the Web
> An electronic decision support tool helped to reduce deaths from pneumonia in four hospital emergency departments in a new study from Intermountain Healthcare and the University of Utah, according to an announcement. The results showed a significant reduction in death rates in the emergency departments where the tool was used. Crude inpatient mortality rate fell from 5.3 percent to 3.5 percent and the relative risk of death was reduced by 25 percent. Announcement
> Quality Systems Inc., parent company of physician software vendor NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, on Monday acquired Costa Mesa, Calif.-based health IT vendor Mirth Corporation. According to an announcement, Mirth will enhance QSI's enterprise interoperability initiatives while broadening its accountable and collaborative care, population health, disease management and clinical data exchange offerings. Announcement
Health Finance News
> Some of the nation's poorest residents may not get any healthcare assistance at all because of the income eligibility and coverage vagaries of the Affordable Care Act--a fact that could wind up impacting hospitals in specific regions of the country. According to USA Today, when the ACA was written in 2010, it was presumed that Medicaid coverage would extend to all people earning less than $23,550 for a family of four. They were not made eligible for tax subsidies available on the health insurance exchange. Article
> The owners of a hospital in North Carolina plan to shut down the facility because the state has chosen not to expand Medicaid eligibility--a scenario that may soon become familiar to providers elsewhere. Pungo Hospital in Belhaven, N.C. will close within the next six months, following the unanimous vote by the board of directors of its owners, Vidant Health System, reported the Daily Reflector. The closure will cost about 100 jobs. The owners plan to replace the hospital with an outpatient facility. Article
Mobile Health News
> A new research report forecasts that the global mHealth market, currently estimated at $6.6 billion, is expected to reach $20.7 billion by 2018 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.5 percent, according to an announcement from Markets and Markets. The report reveals that the major drivers of the mHealth market include increasing awareness of chronic diseases, growing adoption of smartphones, high penetration of 3G and 4G networks, advanced mobile connectivity and a promise of better healthcare cost-efficiency. Article
And Finally... Moose's first day of school. Article