News From Around the Web
> Toshiba Group has established the Toshiba Center for Big Data in Healthcare at the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, it announced this week. The center will collaborate with Johns Hopkins' radiation oncology department, using analysis and data mining, to study treatment pathways and outcomes in head, neck and lung cancer patients. Announcement
> Social networking could be a more cost effective and practical way to help people lose weight, according to research published this month in Health Affairs. The researchers found that sites such as Facebook and Twitter helped people to feel as if they were part of a community where they could draw support from friends, family members and clinicians. "The use of social media to treat obesity encourages patients to be more pro-active and empowers them to contribute towards their own treatment," lead study author Hutan Ashrafian, of the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, said. Abstract
Provider News
> Hospitals in the United States have the highest administrative costs in the world, according to a study published in Health Affairs. Article
> Emergency room visits are on the rise in states that expanded Medicaid, according to a nationwide study conducted by the Colorado Hospital Association. Article
Health Insurance News
> Enrolling rural Americans in health insurance will be one of the biggest problems insurers face during this fall enrollment period, reports Kaiser Health News. Article
And Finally... Even zombies get arrested Article