One of the most contentious issues associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has been the creation of health insurance exchanges (HIEs), which must be composed entirely of private health insurers. While many states have resisted participation, others, like California, have begun building an exchange.

In the hospital space, as in other markets, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can be fraught with emotion. However, setting feelings aside and concentrating on practical matters—especially unique challenges that are inherent in merging with or acquiring a particular type of institution—are essential to deal-making success.

Modern health care systems require more teamwork than ever to deliver the best treatments and solutions while keeping costs down. Physicians will have to get more involved in the overall picture, and focus on team building and team leadership. That’s the overall message delivered by Robert W. Pryor, MD, president and CEO of Scott & White Healthcare

Talk is cheap these days, with no shortage of pundits on the TV, the radio, and the Internet offering their opinions, platitudes, and points of view. Communication, on the other hand, is not so prevalent. In fact, I would observe that our society appears to have reached the nadir of its ability to explain, listen, and interact.

A framework that describes the ability of specific health information exchange and EHR functionalities to drive financial savings could help efforts to develop meaningful use measures and measure the financial impact of health IT, according to research published in the August issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) issued a response to an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) request for information on health IT-enabled quality measurement published in the Federal Register on July 20.

Blue Shield of California will enter a partnership with Dominican Hospital and Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz County on a three-year accountable care initiative.

Despite the recent one-year implementation delay to October 2014, ICD-10 should be a top priority for CMIOs over the next two years. G. Daniel Martich, MD, CMIO and VP of physician services at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), discusses his role in the facilitys progress on ICD-10.