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McKesson Corp. and analytics company Change Healthcare are joining forces to create a new health IT entity. McKessson will combine its information technology business with Nashville-based Change, formerly known as Emdeon.

Virtualization and authentication management solutions helped Saint Mary's Hospital support its mobile clinical staff, while simplifying IT management for the IT staff.

3M Health Information Systems has added another physician workflow and analytics tool to its 360 Encompass MD repertoire with its newest tool: Patient Insights Suite. It was announced today at HFMA ANI in Las Vegas.

In an effort to streamline data-heavy applications such as advanced imaging, electronic health records and molecular medicine, Moffitt Cancer Center has launched a new private enterprise network.

The physician practice association offered recommendations for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Alternative Payment Models proposed by MACRA – including a reduction of reporting requirements across MIPS.

Cedars Sinai Medical Center will begin to use virtual reality technology from Applied VR, in hopes of easing patients' pain with without use of drugs. Hospital executives say it will introduce VR content first in its Spine Center. Cedars-Sinai is among the first hospitals to employ scalable VR technology. It invested in AppliedVR via its TechStars healthcare accelerator. AppliedVR’s developed its main products in partnership with Cedars-Sinai. The first product suite, Pain RelieVR, offers immersive VR games that divert the patient's focus away from the procedure or recovery process. As an example, Guided Relaxation, which was developed with psychologists and leading academics, is used to help transport a patient from the medical environment to a peaceful scenic place, to relax and learn mindfulness and acceptance-based techniques. It is designed to help the patient manage stress and anxiety. "VR is entering an 'age of utilization' in healthcare, with hospitals and surgery centers seeking new ways to increase patient satisfaction, better manage pain, and reduce hospital stays, Matthew Stoudt, AppliedVR, co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. [Also: Cedars-Sinai deploys HomeHero's Apple CareKit app for care transitions] "AppliedVR is an extremely valuable option for healthcare providers seeking to enhance the patient experience and positively impact patient outcomes," Richard B. Jacobs, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Cedars-Sinai, added. Brennan M. Spiegel, MD, director of Health Services Research in Academic Affairs and Clinical Transformation at Cedars-Sinai, describes virtual reality as similar to "dreaming with your eyes open." It helps patients reduce pain without medications or drugs. AppliedVR has begun a limited roll out of the technology in the Orthopaedic Center with the remaining areas scheduled to come onboard next month. Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook and LinkedIn

Payers reject 6.4 percent of claims on the first go-round, company data show.

The hospital and technology incubator are jointly working on a population health tool, to debut next year, that will tie together disparate data sets and resources designed to advance individual and community health. 

X Prize CEO Marcus Shingles said the idea is to use AI to solve the world’s hardest challenges, including those in healthcare.  

A recent poll found that nearly half of responding healthcare executives expect that the move from volume to value will adversely impact revenue, which makes investing in technologies even more critical to competing in the market.