New device enables multiple simultaneous blood tests; Highmark builds $100M one-stop shop medical mall;

News From Around the Web

> Researchers at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and MD Anderson Cancer Center have created a new device that allows healthcare providers to test for multiple disorders and infections simultaneously using a single drop of blood. Their work, published this week in the journal Nature Communications, outlines the creation of the device--dubbed the V-chip (volumetric bar-chart chip)--as well as next steps for the technology. Article

> Overland Park, Kan.-based health technology vendor Netsmart will conduct a pilot project geared toward the successful exchange of sensitive health data between behavioral health and physical health providers as part of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's Data Segmentation for Privacy Initiative. Netsmart's CareConnect EHR-agnostic integration platform will serve as the infrastructure for the pilot. Announcement

> ONC and the National Academy for State Health Policy are teaming up to help "trailblazer" states align their health IT activities with healthcare delivery system reform efforts, Government Health IT reports. Phase I of the project includes Massachusetts, Oregon, Minnesota and Arkansas, while Rhode Island, California, Michigan and Maine are expected to join for Phase II. Article

Health Insurance News

> Highmark is spending about $100 million to build a medical mall, which it hopes will become a one-stop healthcare shop of doctor offices and medical services in the Pittsburgh region. The medical mall, which broke ground last week, will help the insurer provide patient-focused care. Article

Medical Imaging News

> Combining MRI, fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and cerebrospinal fluid analysis can help doctors predict whether patients with mild cognitive impairment will fully develop Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Duke University. New Alzheimer treatments can be effective at the early stages of the disease, but Alzheimer's is difficult to diagnose and researchers have been looking for ways to improve its early detection. Article

And Finally… I think either way, R.E.M. would be happy. Article