Independence Blue Cross (IBC), Penn Medicine and DreamIt Ventures announced the 10 healthcare startup companies selected to participate in DreamIt Health, a Philadelphia-based healthcare accelerator. The 2013 DreamIt Health inaugural class will enter a four-month boot camp, beginning April 8, to help rapidly advance the development of their innovative healthcare solutions and business models.

HENDERSON, Nev., April 4, 2013 -- The Nevada Health Care Association (NVHCA) has selected COMS Interactive, LLC (Clinical Outcomes Management Systems or COMS) as a Preferred Partner.  The Partnership Agreement further validates NVHCA's commitment to the association members' concentration on promoting quality health care and providing better care for post-acute residents in the state.  The specific focus of the agreement is on enhancing clinical services to the residents and achieving cost-effective financial outcomes for the NVHCA membership. 

SARASOTA, Fla., April 4, 2013 -- MedFocusCapital Partners, Inc., an innovator in the eye care industry, announces See.Hear.Live.Better!, an alliance of healthcare service providers backed by leading product manufacturers, all focused on improving the quality of life through vision, hearing and lifestyle services.

PHILADELPHIA, April 3, 2013 -- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Pfizer, Inc., are joining forces with the goal of translating biomedical discoveries into novel treatments. CHOP is announcing its participation in the Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI) network, a novel collaboration model built by Pfizer that brings academic researchers together with Pfizer scientists to expedite the pace of innovation.

When it comes to healthcare, is Kaiser Permanente the wave of the future? The all-in-one hospital system epitomizes well-coordinated patient care and is ahead of the curve in embracing cutting-edge health IT, but can the system ultimately lower costs?

Boston, April 2, 2013 -- Recognizing that Accountable Care can only succeed if consumers take responsibility for their health, Healthrageous, Inc., has unveiled the concept of Accountable Health. Unlike Accountable Care that focuses on provider behavior, Accountable Health is consumer-centric.  Accountable Health occurs when a consumer takes responsibility for modifying their lifestyle in ways that prevent or improve the management of a chronic condition, increase adherence to medication or comply with care plans that lead to optimal clinical outcomes.  Healthrageous is a leader in digital health self-management.

As promised last fall, Health Level Seven International (HL7) made much of its intellectual property freely available under licensing terms. The policy became effective April 1, 2013, and includes all currently published standards, implementation guides and more as determined on a case-by-case basis.

Teams of health IT gurus, entrepreneurs and students soon will set out on a 27-hour odyssey to transform data into healthcare solutions. The April 24-26 “hackathon” at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Center for Business & Information Technologies--billed the CajunCodeFest--is a health app coding competition that will award $25,000 to the team who comes up with the best product.