Technology News: Healthcare

New Medical Web Site to Open Window on Out-of-Network Fees
October 28, 2009

Consumers across the country soon will be able to find impartial information about out-of-network healthcare costs on a new Web site, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. The information will be collected by a new not-for-profit company, FAIR Health, in partnership with a research consortium based at Syracuse University, Cuomo said.

Dell Looks for Tech Services Gold With Perot Acquisition
September 22, 2009

Dell will spend $3.9 billion for the technology services company Perot Systems in an attempt to expand beyond the PC business and compete more aggressively with HP -- which recently bought another tech-services company founded by H. Ross Perot. Dell said Monday it will offer $30 per share in cash for Perot Systems -- a 68 percent premium over its closing price Friday.

New Dell Product Spurs Electronic Medical Records Adoption
September 10, 2009

Dell is expanding its electronic medical records offerings with a new hardware, software and service bundle designed to help hospitals ease the transition from paper to digital records. The service is an end-to-end solution that touches upon all aspects of this process in the hospital setting.

Obama Taps DC-Area Tech Leader as First US CTO
April 20, 2009

President Barack Obama has rounded out his panel of high-tech advisors, naming Aneesh Chopra, the state of Virginia's secretary of technology, as the chief technology officer of the U.S. While not having the heft of a cabinet-level appointment, the newly created position is still seen as pivotal to many of the Obama administration's initiatives.

Dell Gives Healthcare IT a Booster Shot
April 06, 2009

Dell on Monday made a slew of announcements that considerably beefed up its offerings for the healthcare IT industry. These include a mobile clinical computing solution, virtualized systems, cloud-leveraging solutions and partnerships with several other vendors. The computer maker is also teaming up with retailer Sam's Club.

Open Sourcing Healthcare One Patient at a Time
April 01, 2009

Open source healthcare IT solutions are just beginning to become acceptable alternatives to proprietary software systems. As is happening in other fields, open source medical projects are getting noticed as cost-saving alternatives to proprietary vendors. The battle for supremacy between the two marketing strategies may gain national political attention.

Oracle Adds Healthcare Muscle With Relsys Acquisition
March 24, 2009

Oracle has acquired Relsys, a small private company that makes drug safety analytics software for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The terms of the deal were not revealed. Relsys will continue to operate independently until the deal closes, which is expected to take place by this summer.

Mac-Based Software Firm Ready for Dawn of Electronic Health Records Era
March 02, 2009

When patients go to the doctor these days, the first thing they're given is a clipboard with forms that have to be filled out in triplicate. Troy Spracklin wants to change that. The president and CEO of Edge Health Solutions just signed a multimillion dollar deal to integrate AllScripts' electronic health record software into Edge Health's suite of practice management applications.

The Way Forward for Personal and Electronic Medical Records
February 13, 2009

It should come as no surprise that Maurice Ramirez -- an emergency room attending physician with Florida Hospital's Flagler division -- is in favor of widespread adoption of automated personal health records, or PHRs. Ramirez was once chief medical officer for a company that was developing such an application, but that's not his only reference point.

Google, IBM Team on Do-It-Yourself Medical Monitoring Tech
February 05, 2009

It's not "Star Trek" and Dr. "Bones" McCoy's tricorder sensor, but it is one step closer to where no medical patient has gone before; the ability to stream his or her vital signs from a health monitoring device to a computer, thanks to a partnership announced Thursday by IBM and Google. IBM's new software will work with Google Health, the search giant's free online medical record database announced last summer.

All About the Bottom Line: Q&A With Avaya Global Services President Chris Formant
February 02, 2009

Chris Formant, president of Avaya Global Services, has been on the job since March 2008. It is no small irony that one year ago he was tasked with the assignment of strengthening the services group's financial and operating performance -- a significant undertaking, given that the services division touches upon more than half of Avaya's revenue and workforce.

Live Chat's Not Just for Sales Anymore: Q&A With Conversive CEO Robert Williams
December 31, 2008

For many e-tailers, online chat is a closer. Packaged and offered up to site visitors as a service, it provides an opportunity to close a sale when an uncertain customer wavers. Retailers were early adopters of this technology precisely because of the distinct return on investment, Conversive CEO Robert Williams told CRM Buyer.

Finding the Right Tech Model for Patient Care Management
December 16, 2008

The number of diabetes patients and those with the potential for diabetes has grown substantially over the past decade and continues to expand. This trend creates a tremendous demand for innovative care solutions and service models. New service innovations will take advantage of the latest monitoring and communication technologies.

Obama Public Works Plan Could Bring Relief to Tech Sector
December 08, 2008

Part of President-elect Barack Obama's plan to stimulate the economy will touch upon the technology sector, which has seen its share of woes in recent months. Through the proposed economic stimulus package, Obama hopes to expand access to broadband Internet, make government buildings more energy-efficient, improve IT systems at healthcare facilities and upgrade computers in schools.

FBI Hunts Extortionists Holding Health Data on Millions
November 07, 2008

Someone is trying to extort money from a company that handles drug prescription benefits for 50 million Americans in what could be one of the more damaging cases of data loss on record. The incident may raise red flags for industry hopes of putting more health care information online in an effort to control costs.

Red Sox, Patriots, Democrats and Republicans
November 05, 2008

I have been operating in tired mode continuously since the conventions, and by the time you read this, I may have gotten some serious sleep, though I doubt it because this is Dreamforce week after all. There have been too many things competing for my attention after dinner each evening, and none of them resembles a good book or a client. In no particular order, the list includes the Red Sox, Patriots, Republicans and Democrats.