News From Around the Web
> The State of California Office of Health Information Integrity has chosen Humetrix's iBlueButton app to participate in its Health Information Exchange (HIE) pilot. Conducted in partnership with the National Association for Trusted Exchange, the Humetrix pilot began on October 11 and will allow patients to view, download and transmit their personal health records using their mobile device. The Humetrix iBlueButton pilot will also enable veterans to receive on their iBlueButton app both their VA Blue Button health records as well as other records sent by providers participating in the San Diego Regional Health Information Exchange, thus making their complete health record available wherever they receive care. Article
> Verizon Enterprise Solutions has launched its Converged Health Management, a remote patient-monitoring medical platform designed to help clinicians and patients manage patients' health in between doctor visits. The solution enables patients to use biometric devices to take health information such as blood pressure, oxygen saturation levels, glucose levels and weight from home or on the go. Patient data is then automatically transmitted through a wireless connection to a secure server that resides in Verizon's HIPAA-ready cloud for analysis and intervention by the patient's clinician. Patients can access this information and find personalized health-enhancing suggestions via the Converged Health Management smartphone app or Web portal. Article
> Cureatr, the New York-based developer of mobile care coordination solutions for healthcare providers, has secured $5.7 million in Series A financing. The new funds will be used to help fuel Cureatr's aggressive growth plan and drive adoption of its mobile provider communication and workflow navigation platform. Cureatr's product includes HIPAA-secure group text messaging, care-team mapping, and other patient-centric tools to improve point-of-care workflows for teams of physicians, nurses, and care managers. The funding round was co-led by Cardinal Partners and Milestone Venture Partners with JMI Services, LLC and the Partnership Fund for New York City participating. Article
Healthcare News
> Nine California hospitals face fines for violations that caused, or could have caused, serious injury or death to patients, the California Department of Public Health announced. The group fined Los Angeles County/Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance $50,000 for a patient who died after suffering a cut artery during a knee replacement, the hospital's fifth violation. St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton failed to prevent a patient fall that resulted in death--the hospital's sixth administrative penalty that resulted in a $100,000 fine. Other violations ranged from leaving a soft device inside a patient to the incorrect removal of a jugular catheter from a patient. Article
Healthcare IT News
> A Verizon data center handling verification of eligibility for federal health-insurance subsidies failed Sunday, the latest glitch plaguing HealthCare.gov, according to several news reports. The Department of Health and Human Services said a Verizon Terremark data center failed, causing the center to lose network connectivity, according to Reuters. The data center was processing requests to determine eligibility for subsidies to purchase insurance through the federally run health insurance exchanges. Article
And Finally… Ketchup casualty in burger war. Article