MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Governor Deval Patrick threw his weight behind a repeal of state’s employer insurance mandate, a move that would eliminate the Commonwealth’s employer insurance rule to leave the less-strict federal mandate in its place.
Insurance
House confirms plans to vote on ACA individual insurance delay | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — House Speaker John Boehner confirmed rumors that the House of Representatives will vote this week on a proposal to delay the Affordable Care Act’s individual insurance mandate.
Republicans are pushing for a delay of the mandate, arguing that it’s unfair for the Obama administration to give businesses some breathing room for the employer-based insurance without affording the same break to citizens.
Microsoft’s growing app market opens doors for mHealth companies | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — AirStrip Technologies CEO Alan Portela said that the mobile patient monitoring software company is taking notice of Microsoft’s new initiative to build its app market for the Surface tablets.
Microsoft’s new design program, called AppsForSurface, is a chance for AirStrip to take its cardiology and obstetrics apps to the mobile Windows world, allowing physicians access on desktops and PCs, the company reported.
A better way to predict oncoming vision loss | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Patients at risk for rapid vision loss might soon see new diagnostic tools in 3 "advanced optical measures" that can help determine risk level, according to a study out of the University of Houston College of Optometry.
GoogleGlass debuts in the operating room | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Dr. Rami Grossmann used GoogleGlass during a routine gastrointestinal surgery, a debut of sorts for Google’s newest high-tech toy.
"To my knowledge, this is the 1st time that Google Glass has ever been used during live surgery," he wrote in his blog, which also features footage captured by the glasses during the procedure.
A critical review of the insurance claim denial process
"If you can speak what you will never hear
if you can write what you will never read,
you have done rare things."
-Henry David Thoreau
"Doctor, how much longer?"
Healthcare hacking makes breach insurance a hot market | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — News reports are awash with data breaches at healthcare organizations, with California’s Sonoma Valley Hospital and the University of Florida in Gainesville among those reporting leaks just this week.
All the coverage and the penalties and settlements that sometimes results have heightened interest in breach insurance, or "cyber liability insurance," providers say.
Health insurance cos. press Congress to repeal Obamacare tax | MassDevice On-Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Health insurance companies stand to benefit the most from healthcare reform, but the industry is fighting hard in its efforts to repeal a levy which will go towards paying for Obamacare.
America’s Health Insurance Plans, or AHIP, the national trade association representing the health insurance industry, estimates that taxes on insurance plans scheduled to start in 2014 will net the Feds more than $100 billion over the next decade, as much as the medical device excise tax and pharmaceutical industry fee combined.
Boston Marathon bombing: Prosthetics makers support victims facing “harsh and unreasonable” insurance limits
A group of prosthetic device makers has pledged to provide financial support to victims of the Boston Marathon bombing who lost limbs as a result of last month’s attack.
The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association launched its "Coalition to Walk and Run Again," an effort to aide uninsured and under-insured victims of the April 15th bombing. The attack killed 3 people and left more than 200 injured, several of whom lost portions of their legs as a result.