Cerner gets a steal with the acquisition of Bridge Medical for $11 million, just 2 1/2 years after AmerisourceBergen acquired Bridge for $27 million.. In a face saving gesture, AmerisourceBergen notes that the acquisition agreement provides for future performance-based payments through Jan.
1, 2006, and allows it to continue marketing Bridge's software as part
of its patient-safety […]
There is an eclectic collection of health care bloggy goodness up at A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure.
Highlighted are posts from physicians and others in health care
discussing everything from the impact of pharma TV commercials, the
thimerosal “controversy,” day-in-the-life vignettes, and how to put in
a central line. Check it out!
A study
(full text $12) published in JAMA asks the question, “Do quality improvement
organizations (QIOs) improve the quality of hospital care for Medicare
beneficiaries?” The data says no. The study looked at 15 quality indicators for the treatment of atrial
fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia and
stroke in 5 states and Washington DC, from 1999 to 2001. […]
Here's a nice little summary
of pending legislation via iHealthBeat.org (registration required). If
politicians have their way, you and I will soon be funding grants worth
billions to foster adoption of HIT.
In related news, Sen. John McCain has introduced a bill to give public
safety organizations more RF spectrum. This could put the kibash on
efforts by some to […]
McKesson has agreed
to purchase Israeli-based Medcon
for $105 million. Medcon develops and sells an image and information
management system for cardiology departments in hospitals. Medcon
reported almost $17 million sales in 2004 and will become a part of
McKesson's Provider Technologies unit.
“Less than 15
percent of hospitals in the United States have a robust, integrated
solution for cardiology, which next […]
A while back there was quite a discussion on the Biomed Listserv about cell phone usage policy in hospitals. Policies ranged from outright bans to anything goes. Most hospitals had a policy of excluding cell phone use in ICUs or within one meter of a medical device. Cell phones have been found to cause malfunctions […]
Sarah Lacy, Business Week's Deal Flow columnist, speculates this week that the HIT market
may be entering a speculative bubble not unlike the dot com bubble of
the late 1990s, or a previous health care bubble.
If you recall, there was a boom… five years ago. It was
the dawn of the sequencing of the human genome and the […]
I came across this April 2004 story in 24×7
on wireless planning for hospitals. Basically a FUD (fear uncertainty
and doubt) piece on the threat of radio frequency interference (RFI),
and lays out the basics of intentional and unintentional interference.
A good list of potential interference sources is provided.
The value proposition that's put forth in the article is […]
The nursing unit can be a very chaotic place. Numerous systems and
devices can generate alerts or alarms, all competing with the
caregiver's attention. Some of these sources of alarms include overhead
pages, the nurse call system, a myriad of medical devices in patient
rooms sounding alarms, alarms generated at the central station, and
ringing wireless phones.
Each of these […]
It’s time for another fisking! This time, the website medical devicelink has an interesting story called IT Showcase from the Business Planning & Technology Development section of MX magazine. The story explores the integration of medical devices with information system technology (aka, connectivity). While this article touches on areas in and outside the hospital, my […]
