Medtronic Inc. Cancels Contracts With Novation Hospital Buyer Group-Wants to Save Money Negotiating Direct With Hospitals
Whether or not this represents a savings for hospitals is not known yet but the company wanted to remove the “middlemen” so they could set their own pricing without the…
Hard choices on Health Care at Home and Away
As spending cuts hit federal and state health programs, policy-makers are obliged to make harder choices about who will receive what health care. This week brought news of an attempt…
Can the Media and the Public Handle the Health Reform News?
In a January Pulling It Together column, Kaiser Family Foundation CEO Drew Altman said all the action challenging the Affordable Care Act would likely bring confusion. He challenged the media…
NY Governor’s Plan for Trimming Medicaid Costs within Budget Nets Early Win
Starting with a capped proposal on Medicaid spending, an advisory committee appointed by NY state governor Andrew Cuomo has approved reductions in services covered by the entitlement. Seemingly agreed to…
Cleveland Clinic Offering Global Care Air Rescue and Evacuation Services Program For an Annual Fee
This is yet one more service I have not seen yet and perhaps Cleveland Clinic is the first to offer. If one were traveling a lot, especially out of the…
Nurses Using BlackBerrys at the Hospital for Communication and Patient Care (Video)
BlackBerry’s are not dead, especially when you have a hospital system that has been using the mobile smart phones as part of their plan for a few years. We have…
Quality and Cost Savings Through Consumer Engagement
Some of the things consumers are expected to do in the name of health care quality and cost strike me as a stretch. Telling their doctors to wash hands and…
Budget Office Releases New Projection on Effect of Repeal of Reform Law
What does the Congressional Budget Office think that repeal of the ACA would do to the current fed budget? According to the CBO, projecting to 2021, the deficit would increase…
Super-Chickens in Fight Against Avian Flu
In 2003 and 2004, bird flu outbreaks devastated the economies of several Southeast Asian countries. More than 140 million birds either succumbed to the virus or were culled by humans…
Aetna Members In Texas and Florida Now Have Access Through TeleDoc for Non Emergency Consultations
Co-pays and deductibles apply according to the press release. Allergies, stuffy noses and sinus problems are listed as examples on where the TeleDoc service could fill in if the primary…
