News From Around the Web
> A new app proved valuable in reducing hospital readmission rates at New Jersey home healthcare provider, according to Crain's Chicago Business. The cloud-based software was used for three months at Bayada Home Health Care.uring the testing period hospital readmissions dropped below 11 percent. Once the app was not in play readmissions spiked up to 40 percent. Right the app is available only to professional caregivers but there are plans to provide patients' family members to the system. Article
> Eating utensils and dinnerware are fast becoming high-tech mHealth gadgets helping patients manage a wide variety of disease, including cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as helping users track nutrition and food intake, reports StatNews. The digital dishes and cutlery, some featuring sensors and cameras, are offering users insight and data to boost health via smartphone apps and fast becoming yet another mobile healthcare innovation focal point. Article
Health IT News
> Population health management efforts increasingly rely on information technology and data analytics tools to achieve high-quality outcomes. Case in point, Danville, Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System, which uses a combination of patient- and provider-facing tools to ensure that consumers and doctors are on the same page, and that the latter can identify larger trends, both positive and negative. Article
> Health providers that face repeated complaints for HIPAA violations rarely face consequences, according to a new ProPublica report. From an analysis of federal data, ProPublica names the top repeat offenders, which include the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Walgreens, CVS, Kaiser Permanente and Walmart. The companies say they take patient privacy seriously. Article
Health Insurance News
> A limited number of health plans offered on the insurance exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act are offering free doctor visits. Under those plans, individuals can see a primary care doctor in the plan's network without a copay, coinsurance or first paying off a deductible, according to Kaiser Health News. Article
And Finally… Tracking a worm's neurons may lead to advanced human brain research. Article