News From Around the Web
> The U.K. healthcare system is embracing the use of video-conferencing applications, email and phone calls to let physicians and patients connect quicker and help streamline care delivery for more than seven million patients across 1,100 doctor practices, according to an article in Health Tech Zone. Prime Minister David Cameron said the strategy includes providing 800,000 seniors who will be assigned a general practitioner who will be available for appointments in a same-day timeframe. Article
> A new app storefront aims to meet the demands of companies wanting custom applications, including healthcare apps, according to an article in Enterprise Apps Today. Initially the CDW App Marketplace was aimed at housing off-the-shelf enterprise software, according to the article, but research revealed companies need more help, so it's also created a "Total Mobility Management" program which promises to help companies acquire, manage and integrate mobility tools. Article
Health Payer News
> Insurers are taking a page out of the Sunday paper, sending grocery coupons to consumers to encourage healthy eating, CNBC reported. And it's working, according to a Linkwell Health whitepaper that found the mailed coupons led to a 4.5 percent increase in healthy food consumption in 2012 over 2011. Moreover, among those who received the mailings, purchases of seafood rose 95 percent and consumption of vegetables grew 15 percent, while purchases of processed meats dropped 44 percent. Grocery store coupons are part of Humana's integrated care approach: The insurer formed an arrangement with Wal-Mart where every time a patient goes to Wal-Mart and buys healthy food, he or she gets a 10 percent discount on fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk or lean meat. Article
> Insurers looking to engage their members and boost their online experience, plus recruit consumers, should consider using social video marketing, according to MarketingProfs. A three-pronged approach utilizes the viral environment provided by social media, the engagement offered through video and the strategic methods of marketing. The problem, however, is companies can't just post a video if they want to change consumers' behavior. They need to motivate consumers to interact and contribute with the content. Article
Health IT News
> Bed management, enterprise resource planning and financial modeling applications are expected to be some of the hottest on the market among hospitals, according to a new report from HIMSS Analytics. The report analyzes market penetration (saturated, mature to maturing) and projected sales volumes (decelerating, marginal to accelerating) for 26 hospital applications, outlining the biggest opportunities for health IT vendors. Article
> Innovative companies drawing from ideas that transformed the retail, technology and telecommunications sectors are poised to siphon off tens of billions of dollars from traditional healthcare's $2.8 trillion in revenue, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers's Health Research Institute. The report, "Healthcare's New Entrants: Who will be the industry's Amazon.com?" foresees today's siloed healthcare industry becoming a wide-open health marketplace with an array of new products and services. Article
And Finally... A real-life Toy Story adventure. Article