This Week’s Health IT Business News

We attended MGMA12 in San Antonio this week so it’s only fitting to lead with a few announcements from the conference. You may recall this year’s annual conference was the first since MGMA and ACMPE merged. At the conference a new Board of Directors for 2012-13 was elected.

EHR vendor news announcements at the conference included Vitera Healthcare Solutions unveiling of its iPad(R) App, an integrated cloud-based solution for access to patient information.  And eClinicalWorks announced the launch of its Revenue Cycle Management product that inlcudes eClinicalWorks EHR solution.

And finally, while it’s not unheard of to hear an occasional crowd roar at these conferences, Jonathan Bush, CEO of athenahealth, offered us something, well, just a little bit different. Channeling his best Jack Black Nacho Libre impersonation, donning tights, cape, mask and all, his athenaLibre took on the EHR Software Colossus in a “no holds bar” meaningful-use filled match. Check out the video.

First Cerner and now Epic. A couple weeks back Nuance and Cerner announced they were expanding their relationship to embed Nuance’s cloud-based medical voice recognition software into its portfolio of mobile EHR solutions. Now Epic and Nuance have partnered as well to add Nuance’s voice recognition to Epic’s mobile EHR. For details and insight read Ken Terry’s article, Nuance Adds Voice Recognition To Mobile EHRs.

On the heels of NwHIN’s  transition into eHealth Exchange operated by Healtheway comes news that Healheway has joined forces with the EHR/HIE Interoperability workgroup (IWG) to implement standards to exchange health information. Led by the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeHC), IWG and Healtheway have selected CCHIT to perform the testing and certification of EHRs and HIEs, as well as of providers that wish to connect with the eHealth Exchange.  Read the full press release here.

In M&A news this week McKesson announced its plans to purchase PSS World Medical for $2.1 billion. PSS World Medical and McKesson’s Medical Surgical business will combine to provide medical supplies, services and technology to physician and extended care customers. McKesson also reported revenues for the 2nd quarter ending September 30, 2012. Revenues were down slightly at $29.9 billion, compared to $30.2 billion a year ago.

In other earnings news online medical claims clearinghouse leader Navicure reported a 30% increase in revenue in Q3 2012, compared with Q3 2011.

On the international EHR front comes news of a win and a loss. Clinical Innovation & Technology is reporting business intelligence research firm Kalorama predicts the European market for EHRs will reach almost $9 billion by 2017 in part because of government efforts to establish a more universal EHR network. On the other side of the coin Government Health IT reported this week the Australian National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has terminated its $23 million contract with IBM, citing missed deadlines and delays.

In personnel news this week Kaoru Hiraoka, GM of advanced technology and standardization for Fujitsu Limited’s mobile phones division, has been appointed to the board of directors for Continua Health Alliance, a not-for-profit industry organization focused on promoting connectivity among personal health devices. And Toni Hays, President of Regis College, has been named to the advisory board for Health eVillages, a provider of mobile health technology to clinicians practicing in challenging environments.