News From Around the Web
> Johns Hopkins and DreamItHealth Baltimore collaborated on a new health accelerator to "recruit, invest in, and speed the growth and success of a select group of early-stage health IT companies." The program was inspired by a succesful health IT program in
> One Hawaii Beacon program pilot reports a big decline in ER visits and hospital admissions. According to an announcement, "double-digit improvements" in health outcomes are among the results of a recent care coordination pilot program led by Hawai'i Island Care Coordination Service), a joint venture between Ho'okele Health Innovations and West Hawaii Home Health Services, with the support of the Hawai'i Island Beacon Community. Forty-two patients got Ho'okele's iHealthHome in-home health monitoring technology for one year and showed great results. Announcement
Provider News
> A year after Massachusetts implemented a law to cap health spending, execs from large hospitals and insurance companies discussed steps they're taking to help lead the charge toward cutting costs, including implementing coordinated care and boosting quality. Article
> Nearly one in seven patients bounces back to the hospital after major surgery, according to a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers used national Medicare data to calculate 30-day readmission rates after several major procedures, among them pulmonary lobectomy, colectomy, hip replacement, coronary-artery bypass grafting and open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Article
Health Finance News
> In a rare regulatory sanction against a hospital, the Securities and Exchange Commission has charged the governing body of Jackson Health in Florida of misleading investors in connection with a 2009 bond sale, the Miami Herald reported. According to the SEC, the Public Health Trust, which governs Jackson Health, relied on bad financial information from hospital management in connection with the 2009 sale of $83.3 million of bonds for capital improvements. Article
> Florida and Maine, both states with policymakers grappling with the Affordable Care Act, are employing a variety of tactics to discourage Medicaid expansion or enrollment in the health insurance exchanges. In Maine, Republican Gov. Paul LePage has issued a report claiming expanding Medicaid coverage would extend benefits to a large number of people who smoke and drink--a claim that has been widely disparaged by public health experts, the Bangor Daily News reported. Article
And Finally… Let's all hope Boris is successful in his mission. Article