Information technology
McKesson weighs IT unit merger with Change Healthcare | ReutersA union of McKesson's IT unit, called Technology Solutions, with Change would create one of the biggest players in the healthcare information technology sector, potentially worth more than $10 billion, including debt. McKesson has previously explored separating its healthcare IT unit.
Houston VA facilities doctored patient data | The Houston Chronicle
Employees at Houston-area Department of Veterans Affairs facilities manipulated scheduled data for hundreds of medical appointments, understating patient wait times by days and even months, according to investigators with the VA's Office of Inspector General.
Pharmaceuticals
Supreme Court asks Obama administration for views on biosimilar rules | STATIn a move with implications for healthcare expenses, the US Supreme Court has asked the Obama administration for its views on a heated dispute over a rule that will determine when lower-cost biosimilar medicines can be launched.
Valeant CEO blames slump on 'sales force disruption' | FiercePharma
Joseph Papa, CEO of Valeant, blames the underperformance of its Xifaxan drug in the last year on sales force management. The company has sought to address it by hiring a new leader and bumping up the sales force.
Safety, quality and clinical practice
As childhood diabetes rates rise so do costs | MedScape.comA study conducted by the Health Care Cost Institute found that insured children with diabetes racked up $2,173 per capita in out-of-pocket healthcare costs in 2014. That level is five times higher than for kids without illness.
Most surgical readmissions can't be blamed on hospital | Reuters
Researchers at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle studied the medical records of patients who were discharged from the hospital's general surgery department in 2014 or 2015 and readmitted within 30 days. They found that 17% of readmissions were due to drug use and about 15% were due to issues like homelessness or difficulty getting to follow-up appointments.
Google aims to stop terrifying you with its responses when you search medical symptoms | The Washington Post
Even if you're not a hypochondriac by nature, jumping on Google to do some research when you have a mysterious headache or cough has been enough to make you one. For years both patients and doctors have complained about how hard it is to distinguish between real advice and the random ramblings of a complete quack.
