mHealth startups part of Cedars-Sinai accelerator program; Consortium led by MIT, DoD to create fabrics that can help people monitor health;

News From Around the Web

> A consortium of universities, manufacturers and nonprofits, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology through work with the Department of Defense, will develop textiles that will integrate fibers and yarns with circuits, LEDs and solar cells to develop fabrics that can help people monitor their health, among other factors. The applications will include clothing that can regulate temperature and detect threats like chemical elements. Announcement

> Mobile health startups are among 11 companies chosen by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for a three-month Techstars Healthcare Accelerator program providing mentorship and guidance from Cedars Sinai doctors and leaders, as well as investors and entrepreneurs involved with the accelerator. Announcement

Health Insurance News

> The federal Office of Personnel Management plans to issue new rules governing how health insurers that cover federal employees must report data breaches. In a speech at the FEHBP conference, Acting OPM Director Beth Cobert announced her intention to create the new rules and called on the agency, insurers and healthcare providers to work together to ensure health information remains secure. Article

Health IT News

> Three factors in health IT can boost hospital employee productivity, which in turn can improve patient care, according to research from the University of Missouri School of Medicine. They include a competent and visionary chief information officer, an IT infrastructure designed to develop IT applications that improve patient care and business processes and on-site IT professionals with expertise developing cost-effective IT programs that support clinical and business needs. Article

> When it comes to gaining a complete view of a patient's health, story gathering and storytelling are key, according to Dhruv Khullar, M.D., and one way to facilitate that is by letting patients read their medical records. Article

And Finally... These tadpoles love to hide their heads in the sand. Article