News From Around the Web
> The use of robots for hysterectomies is rapidly growing, despite higher costs and a similar complication rate when compared to routine laparoscopic procedures, according to a review of data from 400 hospitals, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, MedPage Today reports. Article
> HIMSS plans to lease 25,000 square feet at Cleveland's Global Center for Health Innovation for exhibition, as well as to open its own Innovation Center, president H. Stephen Lieber announced this week. The innovation center is scheduled to open in October. Announcement
Provider News
> Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, co-chairs of President Obama's deficit-reduction commission, announced $2.4 trillion in deficit cutting over the next decade. A quarter of the deficit reduction, amounting to $600 billion, would come from federal healthcare programs, The Hill's Healthwatch reported. Article
Health Finance News
> Some hospitals in New Jersey are enjoying cost reductions of as much as 10 percent through the use of a collaborative care program with physicians, the Associated Press reported. The gainsharing program, which was introduced in a dozen hospitals four years ago, pays doctors incentives to find ways to reduce potential overuse of resources without compromising care. Article
> A new player has broken onto the mergers and acquisitions deal-making scene: private equity firms. Although they have long powered deals in other sectors, they traditionally remained on the sidelines when it came to the regulation-heavy, margin-thin hospital market--until now. The spark of this activity is simple: The healthcare industry is exiting a period of business decline, rapidly growing and enjoying new value. Article
And Finally... This trend seriously needs to end. Please. Article