Johns Hopkins scientists launch disaster planning, flu forecasting apps; ONC names new director of Federal Health Architecture;

News From Around the Web

> Scientists from Johns Hopkins University have launched advanced disaster planning and flu forecasting apps, according to an announcement. The three new digital applications, developed by research teams at the Johns Hopkins National Center for the Study of Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Response (PACER), are available for free via the PACER applications suite website. Announcement

> Gail Kalbfleisch will assume the role of director of the Federal Health Architecture, an office within the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, according to an email sent to FierceHealthIT by ONC. Kalbfleisch previously was part of the office of the Chief Information Officer of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Health Finance News

> The financial picture for hospitals in states that failed to expand Medicaid doesn't look good, according to the Wall Street Journal. The expansion of the low-income health insurance program was meant to offset cuts to disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments. Article

> Growth in healthcare spending by state and local governments doubled the overall growth of healthcare spending nationwide in 2012, illustrating the pressures such entities are under to meet obligations in that arena. Altogether, healthcare spending nationwide increased about 4 percent in 2012, but rose 8 percent among state and local governments that same year, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data analyzed by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Article

Medical Imaging News

> Patients with low-grade brain tumors who were treated with both chemotherapy and radiation live longer than those who received only radiation treatments, according to a long-term clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health. Article

And Finally... With every Olympics, a new athlete is made a meme. Article