IBM Watson Health to Acquire Truven Health Analytics and Its Millions of Patient Records for $2.6 Billion

Mar 30, 2016 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Digital Pathology, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing

IBM Health’s data combined with Truven’s patient records will create an enormous big-data collection representing 300 million patient lives If any pathologist or clinical laboratory manager still doubts the importance of healthcare big data, the multi-billion-dollar acquisition of Truven Health Analytics by IBM should put those doubts to rest. Last month, IBM Corp. (NYSE:IBM) announced an agreement to acquire Truven Health Analytics, (Truven) for $2.6 billion. Truven is a provider of...

When It Comes to Mining Healthcare Big Data, Including Medical Laboratory Test Results, Optum Labs Is the Company to Watch

Dec 14, 2015 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations

Example is a big data-based study involving Optum and Mayo Clinic that indicates diabetes management can be too aggressive for some patients Mayo Clinic has tapped Optum Labs’ huge data set to fuel research suggesting diabetes management can be too aggressive among those diabetics who don’t have problems controlling their glucose level. Optum Labs’ data is also being mined to investigate dozens of research initiatives, including a major fight against Alzheimer’s disease. These projects provide...

Falling Inpatient Revenues at Many Hospitals Is Sign of Healthcare’s Transition to New Models of Integrated Clinical Care and Changes in Medical Laboratory Test Utilization

Jan 22, 2014 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology

Statistics indicate that inpatient admissions and revenues are falling nationally, a development that affects clinical laboratories in hospitals and health systems One important trend that directly impacts the medical laboratories of hospitals and health systems is the falling rate of inpatient registrations seen nationally in recent years. What exacerbates this trend is the fact that many payers are cutting the prices they pay for certain inpatient services. Collectively, these two...

Health Insurers Spending Big Dollars to Be Players in ‘Big Data’; Trend has Implications for Clinical Pathology Laboratories

May 8, 2013 | Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations

With healthcare reform likely to limit their growth, health insurers are expanding into data management to create new revenue streams Faced with swift changes in healthcare, many of which are not favorable to the traditional business model of private health insurers, the nation’s largest payers are positioning themselves to be major players in the management of “big data.” That may have interesting implications for clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups, which typically generate...