EHRs

Six major tech giants — Google, Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and Salesforce — vowed to work together to remove barriers to interoperability in healthcare, the companies said at CMS' Blue Button 2.0 Developer Conference in Washington D.C.

Three of the major publicly-traded EHR vendors saw their stock prices fall last week.

Meditech released its earnings results for the second quarter of 2018 on July 31.

Most hospitals have already adopted EMRs. However, the majority won't deploy more advanced capabilities on the software until 2035, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

New Albany, Ind.-based PMC Regional Hospital is planning on implementing Meditech's Expanse EHR later in 2018.

Following an unsolicited takeover bid by activist investor Elliott Management in May, UnitedHealth Group is reportedly one of the second-round bidders to express interest in acquiring athenahealth, according to Dealreporter.

Epic is planning its first Un-Users Group Meeting, slated for Sept. 26, which targets healthcare executives and strategic leaders who don't use Epic, but want to exchange health information with providers on Epic in their communities.

Four of the top vendors hospitals use to participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program are Allscripts, Cerner, Epic and Meditech, according to June 2018 ONC data.

Allscripts said it plans to sell its stake in Netsmart, an EHR solutions and services company that markets a cloud-based EHR for home health and senior living providers, according to Home Health Care News.

Lexington (Neb.) Regional Health Center is taking steps to implement an integrated EHR system, the Lexington Clipper-Herald reports.