News From Around the Web:
> Today, at the first full day of HIMSS 2013, Dell announced it will join with Red Hat, Intel and VMware to open a hospital center where running EPIC System's EHR on Linux software can be tested. The DRIVE (Dell, Red Hat, Intel, VMware on EPIC) Center of Excellence is located near the EPIC's Verona, Wis., headquarters. "With the potential lower total cost of ownership of running the software on Dell Intel x86 servers, Epic deployed on Linux could be a cost-effective option for mid-sized hospitals," according to Dell and EPIC representatives. Announcement
> PatientSafe Solutions announced a partnership with Meritus Medical Center today to implement the PatientTouch platform throughout the Hagerstown, Md., hospital. "PatientTouch enhances an existing electronic medical record installation with an interoperable, PatientSafe Solutions-developed hardware and software solution that enhances patient safety, reduces waste, and improves staff productivity and satisfaction," according to an announcement from PatientSafe. Currently, PatientSafe and Meritus Medical Center are initiating PatientTouch across the hospital's 272-bed hospital facility in Hagerstown. Announcement
Medical Imaging News
> A German study determined the complication rate associated with colonoscopy is low enough to be justifiable, considering the benefits of screening, according to an article in Science World Report. Article
> Despite the continuing controversy about the benefits of breast cancer screening, as well as the decline in the number of breast imaging facilities over the last decade, the breast imaging systems market in the United States should experience modest growth through 2016, according to a recent report from Frost & Sullivan. Article
Provider News
> Universal Health Services saw its fourth-quarter profit jump to $135.5 million, up 42 percent from the year before, the Pennsylvania hospital operator announced today. Favorable after-tax impact, including more than $5.5 million in after-tax electronic health record incentives from the federal government, helped boost the results. Article
> Apparently, there's no keeping away pharmaceutical sales representatives from medical trainees, students and residents, finds a new survey from Brigham and Women's Hospital. Despite the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services recent release of the Sunshine Act final rule, the national survey shows efforts to curb interaction between the two groups haven't entirely succeeded. Article
And Finally... This cat-loving woman bared a different kind of (deadly) craziness. Article