HCA purchases PatientKeeper; CIOs say disconnect often exists between expectations, realities for mergers;

News From Around the Web

> Multistate hospital system HCA announced this week that it will purchase health IT software vendor PatientKeeper for an undisclosed sum. HCA Chief Health Information Officer Jim Jirjis called the move "an important step" toward investing in "forward-looking informatics approaches to healthcare." Announcement

> A vast majority of hospital CIOs responding to a new survey conducted by healthsystemCIO.com said they believe that when it comes to mergers and acquisitions, a "disconnect" often exists between expectations and realities. Additionally, close to half of all respondents said they believe the main reason why some mergers fail is the merging of cultures. Article

> The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday cleared use of the Nova StatStrip Glucose Hospital Meter System on critically ill patients who have been hospitalized. Announcement

Health Insurance News

> Based on insurers' second quarter enrollment numbers, a dramatic shift is continuing toward consumers increasingly purchasing individual coverage, according to a report from SNL Financial. Analyzing enrollment figures for the top 10 insurers on and off the health insurance exchanges, SNL Financial found that second quarter data "would seem to paint a clear picture of the effects of the federally mandated health exchanges." Article

Provider News

> Patients who experience more pain after surgery reported poor sleep while they were in the hospital, often resulting in longer length of stays, according to a study announcement from researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Post

And Finally... Andy Dufresne he is not. Article