Super Bowl regions also gaining ground on ACOs (Morning Read)

Current medical news from today, including New York, New England and Indianapolis moving forward with ACOs, the downside of iPads in hospitals, and social media may be more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol.

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Super Bowl regions are also hotspots for ACOs. New England, New Jersey, New York City and Indianapolis are all fast-moving areas in the world of Accountable Care Organizations, according to market intelligence agency HealthLeaders-InterStudy. Seven provider groups in New England have been designated as Pioneer ACOs, and one in Indianapolis. New Jersey also has nine ACOs in the works.

The downside of iPads in hospitals. In a recent survey, 74 out of 100 health IT managers said that the use of tablets in healthcare present challenges for data entry, and two-thirds said that providing technical support on these consumer devices raises IT costs. Other concerns included patient data security, durability and compatibility with electronic health records.

Good sales, outlook for Abiomed. Abiomed (NSDQ:ABMD) posted record earnings in the third quarter of 2012, boosting shares and outlook. Its Impella heart pump garnered $27.7 million in sales over three months, 32 percent increase from the same time last year.

Social more addictive than substances? A new University of Chicago study claims Facebook and Twitter are more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. The slight excitement of waiting for social media updates to load is an easy fix that’s less harmful than those provided by substances, the researchers say.

Trend: Young doctors treating the elderly. Since medical boards began recognizing palliative and end-of-life care as a sub-specialty five years ago, more young doctors in their early- to -mid-30s are entering the field. The problem with this trend? Elderly patients — especially those with sensitive conditions — are less likely to disclose important medical information to doctors who are young.

[Photo from flickr user juggernautco]

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