Thomson Reuters, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., has announced that Clear Choice Health Plans of Bend, Ore., will deploy the company's Treatment Cost Calculator application, which is designed to estimate out-of-pocket costs for planned healthcare services.
SubroShare, a Richmond, Va.-based healthcare IT provider, has launched the SubroShare data exchange, a HIPAA-compliant model designed to bring together healthcare payers and providers to combat overpayments on premium cost and Medicaid plans.
RelayHealth, the Atlanta-based healthcare connectivity subsidiary of the McKesson Corporation, has signed an agreement with VHA, Inc., the national healthcare network, to offer its RevRunner financial clearance software to VHA members.
IBM, based in Armonk, N.Y., has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire SPSS, a Chicago-based provider of business analytics solutions. Pending SPSS shareholder approval, the deal could be worth an estimated $1.2 billion.
Enclarity, Inc., of Aliso Viejo, Calif., has updated its ProviderPoint and Provider SelectFile hosted solutions to include New Physician Office Attributes, allowing health insurance plans and preferred provider organizations to improve customer service by offering members and consumers more detailed information about physician offices in their provider directories.
Broadlane, based in Dallas, has announced that AHMC Healthcare, Inc., in Alhambra, Calif., has renewed its supply chain relationship for five years to help manage approximately $100 million in spending at its seven hospitals, including the recently acquired AHMC Anaheim Regional Medical Center.
WellPoint. Inc., base din Indianapolis, is collaborating with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and the Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, to provide access to WellPoint's Care Comparison cost information software.
The National Society of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants has released the 2008 Joint Statistics Report based on 2007 data of medical and dental statistics on income and expense averages. The report, featuring data from more than 2,290 professional practices representing more than 4,679 doctors, includes information on overhead percentages, average monthly charges in accounts receivable and full time equivalent staff ratios, among other data.
The Huron Consulting Group has expanded its Life Sciences Advisory Services practice to focus on the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries. The group has added Susan Sisskind Dunne and Chris A. McKeil to its roster of experts.
AtPar, Inc., a Lebanon, N.H.-based developer of mobile supply chain solutions for healthcare organizations, has launched two new products designed to help hospitals and healthcare systems reduce expenses. The company's new case Cart solution is designed to automate case cart operations, while the Point of Use module is designed to interface with a hospital's MMIS and billing systems to capture patient charges and smooth supply replenishment for stock, non-stock and consignment items.