Brian T. Horowitz

An update to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) could make IT companies more liable for leaked health information, said industry experts. Business associates now must meet the privacy and security rules of HIPAA just like doctors, hospitals and health insurance providers, according to the final “omnibus” rule the U.S. Department of Health […]

Cisco has unveiled a new version of its HealthPresence platform and global availability of its Connected Health services, two products the company says will help with care efficiency and collaboration. Announced on Jan. 17, HealthPresence 2.5 allows health care organizations to build a scalable, flexible telehealth network, according to Cisco. HealthPresence integrates high-definition video and […]

Intermec has unveiled an upgraded line of 70 Series ultra-rugged mobile computers featuring radio-frequency identification. The devices enable professionals in health care and retail to track equipment and merchandise. The company launched the new models Jan. 14 at the National Retail Federation Show in New York. The 70 Series consists of the CK70, CN70 and […]

UnitedHealthcare has launched an open innovation initiative to encourage the development of products that help people live healthier lives and manage chronic conditions. Announced on Jan. 11 at the International Consumer Electronics Show, the “Breakthrough Health Tech Challenge” will award a $60,000 prize to the winning health care innovator. UnitedHealthcare is the health benefits unit […]

Online information sources are the new “chicken soup” and a resource for medical diagnoses, but people aren’t turning away from doctors, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. The survey found that 35 percent of, or one in three, U.S. adults, have used the Internet to research […]

NovaSom, a company that conducts tests for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has unveiled an updated version of its MediTrack cloud diagnostic portal. MediTrack is a customer relationship management platform that enables doctors to track sleep test orders in real time. Announced Jan. 14, the new version allows medical specialists to better integrate testing into their […]

Withings Smart Activity Tracker Announced Jan. 6, the Withings Smart Activity Tracker is a pocket-size device that tracks the number of steps taken, calories burned and quality of sleep. About the size of a memory stick, it features a touch-screen on the front and a heart-rate sensor on the back. It collects pulse measurements and […]

Verizon Communications is sponsoring a contest that will award $10 million to developers to create innovative health care, education and sustainability applications using Verizon’s mobile, video and cloud technology. Lowell McAdam, Verizon’s CEO, announced the contest during his keynote address Jan. 8 at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Called the Powerful Answers […]

On Jan. 8 at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, HealthSpot has launched a walk-in telehealth station that will allow patients to take medical readings and communicate remotely with a doctor. The HealthSpot Station allows board-certified doctors to conduct remote diagnosis and treatment using high-definition videoconferencing and digital medical devices. Pharmacies are a […]

CareCloud, which offers cloud-based electronic health record and practice management software, is collaborating with QuantiaMD to use the latter’s community of physicians to communicate with them on how they can best manage their practices. Under the partnership announced on Jan. 8, the two companies will collect insight from 5,000 physician members in QuantiaMD’s community to […]

Cloud-based health IT software company Athenahealth has acquired Epocrates, a developer of mobile reference apps doctors use at the point of care. Athenahealth announced Jan. 7 that it had agreed to pay $11.75 per share, or approximately $293 million, to acquire Epocrates. Athenahealth expects the sale to close in the second quarter of 2013. Epocrates […]

Lexmark International continues its series of acquisitions tied to the health care space by purchasing Acuo Technologies, a medical image archive company. Acuo offers a Universal Clinical Platform that provides vendor-neutral access to medical image archives. A vendor-neutral archive can consolidate images from multiple vendors’ platforms. The Universal Clinical Platform allows doctors to capture and […]