News From Around the Web
> The FDA's Jeff Shuren, M.D., says the agency wants to create an expedited approval pathway for some high-risk med devices. "We ensure devices are safe and effective, and that's protecting public health," Shuren said. "But we also have to promote public health, ensuring that there's timely access to those technologies, and facilitating innovation," he said Thursday, according to MedPageToday. Article
> In a post to HIT Consultant, founder Fred Pennic lists 10 questions hospitals should ask vendors about secure messaging, including questions about design, function, reliability and security. Article
Health Finance News
> Medicare fraud costs the federal government about $68 billion a year, and to combat the problem, the agency is recruiting new people to fight such crime on the front lines--Medicare enrollees themselves. Article
> South Carolina has unveiled a website that provides price data for 60 of the state's hospitals, the Associated Press reported. The site, www.schealthdata.org, managed by South Carolina's Medicaid agency, includes financial data going back five years for each hospital, according to the AP. It also provides the amount the Medicaid program paid the organizations to care for uninsured patients. The website also features an online tool for comparing hospitals by group or geography. Article
Health Payer News
> Accountable care organizations have been launching all over the country, becoming a popular approach in the shift toward value-based care. But will health insurers and the federal government continue to embrace ACOs this year? Here are three trends to watch. Article
And Finally... Giddy up for the year of the horse. Article