EMISSARY - HEALTHCARE CONSULTING

AMIA, the U.S.-based association for informatics professionals, has launched a nonprofit, wholly owned subsidiary called the Global Health Informatics Partnership (GHIP) to serve as an international center for collaborative initiatives on health informatics.

Informatics is the science of how to use data, information, and knowledge to improve both human health and the delivery of healthcare services, usually supported by health IT systems.

To the growing number of revenue cycle management vendors seeking to help hospitals improve their bill collections and avoid bad debt, add Passport Health Communications.

CareSpark, a nonprofit regional health information organization (RHIO) serving Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, is proving the value of health information exchanges through several projects that rely on its provider registry.

Blue Cross Blue Shield companies experienced both a decline in underwriting earnings and lower premiums in 2009, according to a report by the credit rating firm A.M. Best.

Investment income also declined for BCBS plans because interest rates remained low, the report said.

The Oldwick, N.J.-based firm said the turnaround in the financial markets resulted in realized and unrealized gains in 2009, compared with losses the prior year.

Accenture has announced that it will work with Stanford Hospital & Clinics on a seven-year, connected health technology initiative to improve patient care and operational efficiency. The effort will continue to advance Stanford’s patient care platform, which connects the hospital and outpatient clinics to create a near-paperless electronic medical record. Under the agreement, Accenture will work with Stanford to enhance clinical processes and deploy new capabilities, including business intelligence, health analytic tools and patient-centered technology.

Farmington Hills, Mich., physician Jose Castro-Ramirez has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme.

He was also ordered to pay $9.4 million in restitution and sentenced to three years of supervised release following his prison term.

A federal jury in March convicted Castro-Ramirez of one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, 11 counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the fraudulent scheme, according to the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.

Angie's List announced on Wednesday a partnership that will allow its members to access Healthcare Blue Book, a free pricing tool that aids consumers and companies in determining and negotiating fair healthcare prices.

Officials say the service is designed to help patients shop around for the best price before they even agree to treatment and incur those bills.

A survey of large employers found they are anticipating an 8.9 percent increase in the cost of health insurance next year, up from an average 7 percent this year.

As a result, employers said they are planning to make changes to their 2011 healthcare benefit programs.