Venture capital funding of the health IT sector 2013 hit another record with $493 million raised during the first quarter of 2013, according to a recent report from global communications and consulting firm Mercom Capital Group.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., April 16, 2013 -- Change Healthcare® clients nationwide can now offer their members and employees cost transparency tools and health benefits education in multiple languages.  The leader in consumer engagement and cost transparency recently launched a Spanish-language version of its flagship platform, Transparency Messenger™, and will leverage the functionality of its enhanced platform to expand into other languages as the market demands, says Clayton Nicholas, Change Healthcare's vice president of strategy and marketing.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 16, 2013 -- Priority Health is laying the groundwork to become the first health plan in Michigan to publish specific, regionalized health care costs and quality information by procedure, facility and physician. The company announced today it has signed a contract with Healthcare Blue Book to publish costs associated with more than 300 health care services most utilized by members of Priority Health.

Seeking a better, more efficient way to see his patients, William C. Thornbury, Jr., MD, RPh, CEO and medical director of Medical Associates of Southern Kentucky, found a way to do housecalls by smartphone.

The e-prescribing industry is estimated to grow 26 percent from 2012 to 2017 due to healthcare providers’ pressing need to bring down healthcare costs, reduce medical errors and adverse events, and improve quality of care, according to a recent MarketsandMarkets report. The global e-prescription system was estimated at $170 million in 2011, and growth is expected to continue, especially in the United States.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., April 15, 2013 -- Net Medical Xpress Solutions, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board NMXS)(OTCQB: NMXS), announced today that it will be showcasing its newest web-based telemedicine technology at the American Telemedicine Association tradeshow in Austin, Texas on May 5-7, 2013.Net Medical CEO Dick Govatski said, "In May, we are introducing the latest software and hardware technology from our technology infrastructure group. The team will demonstrate our WebRTC (Web Real Time Communications) software for Google, Chrome and Firefox browsers eliminating the need for plug-ins, downloads and other proprietary installs so that video and audio communications can be connected as easily as opening up a browser.

Physicians are welcoming patient self-tracking as a means to capture first-hand data on the conditions of their patients to improve overall care, according to a recent study by the healthcare market research and advisory firm Manhattan Research.

CARLSBAD, Calif., April 11, 2013 -- Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced the launch of Vector NTI® Express Designer, the latest advancement in its Vector NTI® software platform, which offers researchers comprehensive and streamlined custom vector and genetic construct design and synthesis. The desktop software tool is designed for molecular biology, metabolic engineering, genetic engineering, and synthetic biology professionals who want to rationally design, assemble and order synthetic genetic "parts," optimizing genetic components for a broad range of applications.