Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 03, 2015 -- Isabel Healthcare announced today an agreement with the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) to offer the Isabel diagnosis decision support tool to its physician assistant (PA) members through their Affinity Partner member benefits program.

Community Health Systems and three affiliated New Mexico hospitals will pay a $75 million settlement to the feds for making illegal donations to county governments to reap more funding under a now-discontinued matching program, reports Modern Healthcare.  

Anthem is ramping up its value-based payments to providers. The insurer announced that it investing $38 billion in additional funding to move away from fee-for-service medicine, reports Forbes. 

Hospitals in Illinois are struggling with high vacancies. Statewide, 76 hospitals routinely fill less than 50 percent of their beds, reports Modern Healthcare.  

Fewer than 800 of the 1,700 hospitals that earn Medicare bonuses will actualy receive the money, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis.

The $960 million federally-funded State Health Innovation Plans developed by 25 states shed light on top healthcare investment areas. An analysis by Accenture reveal 5 emerging investment priorities worth noting:

Following a bitter dispute over stalled negotiations, Blue Shield of California said it will extend its contract with Sutter Health through Dec. 31, 2016, reports Times-Standard Lifestyle. 

DENVER--Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, today announced the 261 recipients of the 2015 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ (DHA-CE).