Spok, a healthcare communications organization, has released a pair of annual surveys on mobility strategies in healthcare. The surveys include responses from more than 300 U.S. healthcare professionals covering mobile strategy development, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies, communications infrastructure and improving mobile communications.

Consumer-focused wearable technology offers ways for individuals to track sleep patterns, steps and other baseline health indicators. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a device to accurately monitor a person’s walking speed and form. 

Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has presented 1,600 employees—nearly 9 percent of its workforce—with the option of a voluntary buyout as the hospital looks to cut costs.

The largest healthcare merger ever proposed likely drew its dying breath on Friday, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirmed lower court rulings that blocked the deal on antitrust grounds. While the ruling was appealed in February, the chances of a successful argument were slim, according to policy analysts. 

Predicting a cancer recurrence, especially rare forms such as parathyroid cancer, is a patient's best bet for early treatment and improved outcomes. A recent study, published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, tested a prognosis tool's ability to predict the recurrence of parathyroid cancer.

Continuous communication and a functional support system are keys to keeping individuals on the track to substance abuse recovery. Matthew La Rocco, a certified alcohol and drug counselor, has developed a method for businesses to improve the view and care of these individuals.

Delivering bad news is a stressful, sensitive task for physicians. Researchers from Medical Cyberworlds and the University of Michigan have developed a virtual patient system to educate physicians on improving empathetic skills, with findings published in Patient Education and Counseling.

Clinicians should soon be receiving notices on whether they’ll be required to participate in the new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), CMS said in a notice issued on April 25.