Health Care Buzz Today

iPad Used To Track Progress of Spinal Surgery Patients. An online health tracker that requires patients to use the iPad to record and track surgical recovery metrics was launched last week in a trial for spinal surgery patients at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (UK).

iPad Used To Track Progress of Spinal Surgery Patients. An online health tracker that requires patients to use the iPad to record and track surgical recovery metrics was launched last week in a trial for spinal surgery patients at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (UK).

Sleepy-Time Snack Draws Fire. Public health officials and politicians are debating the safety of a new snack on the market. Sold as Lazy Cakes, Kush Cakes and Lulla Pies, they are essentially brownies laced with melatonin, a sleep aid.

Telemedicine in ICU Cuts Mortality, Hospital Says. The program replaced bedside monitor alarms with remote alerts to physiological trends and abnormal laboratory values, as well as a review of the response to alerts and off-site team rounds.

Physician Feedback about Lab Testing Cuts Unnecessary Utilization. Simply making hospital-based physicians aware of the cost of chemistry panel and complete blood count tests cut the daily bill for the tests by 27%.

Healthcare IT Spending To Reach $40 Billion. The US market for healthcare IT hardware, software, and services is expected to grow 24% annually for several years, driven in part by mandatory use of EHRs.