Growth Investment for IMS

Inpatient Medical Services (IMS), a Midwest outsourced hospitalist management company, serving 150,000 patients annually was acquired by Sverica International.  IMS, founded in 2000 and based in Akron, Ohio partners with hospitals and primary care doctors to improve efficiency, clinical outcomes and transitions of patient care.  Sverica’s investment and operationally-oriented approach is expected to aid IMS in its next growth phase.  >>Read more  

Got Ideas?

Last week we highlighted some ideas generated in brainstorming sessions at the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation conference.  With idea in hand...or on sticky note, as it may be,  what’s the next step?  Enter...Society of Physician Entrepreneurs. 

This professional group offers “a networking and education platform for healthcare providers who want to commercialize their innovations” according to Jeffrey N. Hausfeld, a co-founding member of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs.  The group, a physician led non-profit member organization (www.sopenet.org), has a LinkedIn group site.  It was founded in 2011 and expects to exceed 5000 members in 20 chapters by year end. 

SoPe’s assistance and guidance (education, networking, funding) primarily benefits entrepreneurs focused in the following areas:

1. Devices, Drugs and Diagnostics -- utilized in patient care or marketed direct to consumer
2. Medical Services -- addressing cost, efficiency, quality, availability 
3. Health care IT and Telemedicine Products and Services

 

HC Consumers Value Expertise...Want Comparison Tool

The latest survey focusing on customer experience and healthcare providers was completed in July by Harris Interactive.  The online poll asked more than 2,300 US adults about their preferences and decision-making process when making doctor’s appointments.  

While a substantial number of respondents expressed satisfaction with their last medical visit, the study revealed that 62% identified a consumer “want” not readily fulfilled - an online estimator of physician costs.  MedCity News reports that in addition to the comparison tools supported by insurance companies, third party companies have started to fill the void.  MD Clarity assists doctors analyze health care service pricing while Castlight Health aids consumers.  >>Read more

Other key offerings desired by study respondents include:  Online medical access, proactive communication from doctors.  >>View Harris findings

Where is the Money Going?

Today, the media is buzzing about the latest Institute of Medicine report - The Healthcare Imperative:  Lowering Costs and Improving Outcomes addressing US healthcare spending.  Checkout the infographic that highlights the report's issues and opportunities. 
Source:  Institute of Medicine

The Cloud - Ready for Take Off in Healthcare

Despite privacy and regulatory concerns that have restrained its use to date, cloud computing in the health care industry is on the rise. MarketsandMarkets, in a recent research report, forecasted the health care cloud computing market to reach $5.4B by 2017, a compounded annual growth rate of 20% (vs. 4% in 2011). This global estimate encompasses use in clinical (e.g.: EHR, software imaging, physician order entry) and non-clinical (e.g.: patient billing, claims management) applications.

Essentially, cloud technology enables users to use the Internet from anywhere to access computing capabilities and data hosted in another location, as opposed to onsite. The cloud enables hospitals, clinics, practitioners to share patient data across various settings and geographies to improve and expedite patient diagnosis and treatment. On the business side, it allows an IT staff or department to increase performance of their IT infrastructure while decreasing costs. >> Read more