News From Around the Web
> A Philadelphia area health information exchange is planning its third quarter launch, according to Health Data Management. The HealthShare Exchange of Southeastern Pennsylvania (HSXSEPA), the health information exchange for the five-county area surrounding Philadelphia, wasn't one of the first HIEs, but executive director Martin Lupinetti says he believes the organization, which tested its first live exchange in December 2013, is "on solid ground," according to the article. Article
> ONC health IT workforce funding may be over, but its activity is not, William Hirsh, M.D., informatics professor at Oregon Health & Science University, writes in a blog post in HITECH Answers. Hirsh points to job growth exceeding all predictions and said that it's "unlikely to abate as healthcare organizations need to use their information systems to improve quality and safety while staying economically competitive with their competitors." Blog post
Provider News
> Medical advances are saving the lives of older, sicker patients, but at the cost of a surge of hospital-dependent patients that drive hospital readmissions, according to a blog post for the New York Times. "Hospital-dependent patients are those who, a generation ago, were doomed to die. Now they are being saved," Pauline W. Chen, M.D., wrote in the post. "Medical advances can snatch them from the clutches of death, but not necessarily free them from dependence on near-constant high-tech monitoring and treatments." Article
Health Finance News
> Fewer hospitals run their own dialysis units, as changes to the business model have made the practice less lucrative, Crain's Chicago Business reports. For-profit firms that specialize in dialysis units have much lower costs, including lower wages for nursing staff, according to the article. "Hospitals have been shedding this service for years," John Sullivan, an associate professor of finance at Boston University, told Crain's. Article
> A Massachusetts community hospital abruptly closed its doors last week, while another facility in Northern California is on the brink of insolvency and closure. North Adams Regional Hospital, operated by the Northern Berkshire Health Care system, shut its doors with three days' notice last month, MassLive.com reported. The hospital has liabilities of $50 million but assets of only $10 million, according to another MassLive article. Article
And Finally... This message about love is as sweet as honey. Article