According to an announcement on Small Cap Network, Epazz Inc., a Chicago-based provider of cloud-based business software, plans to enter the medical billing market. The company signed a letter of intent to acquire a medical billing software company in the western U.S. The acquisition is expected to grow Epazz substantially by bringing in an additional $600,000 in revenue in the first year. 

Indianapolis, IN. – May 1, 2014 – Zotec-MMP, an industry-leading provider of radiology billing and practice management services, has been awarded an exclusive billing and practice management contract with Phoenix, Arizona-based Medical Diagnostic Imaging Group (MDIG). MDIG is a private practice that offers complete teleradiology services from more than 40 board certified and fellowship trained radiologists. Zotec Partners acquired Medical Management Professionals, Inc. (MMP) on August 31, 2013 to become Zotec-MMP.

Unpredictability seems to be the constant variable in the saga of changes to healthcare these days. When the decision was made to postpone the ICD-10 for another year, many healthcare providers let out a sigh of relief, while others expressed disappointment because they had already spent considerable resources on preparations and training. Either way, sometime in 2015, providers and payers alike will have to be ready for the change. Industry experts suggest they use the extra time wisely. 

We won’t know with any certainty for years whether the Affordable Care Act will ultimately result in a healthier US population, but the new health law is speeding the demise of an American small-business institution; the one-doctor medical practice, according to an article published in the Union-Tribune San Diego. 

Now that the enrollment period is over for the health insurance exchanges (HIEs), individual states are reporting their enrollment figures; some states report meeting their enrollment goals and others falling far short. Beyond a simple exercise in tallying, state leaders also are evaluating their state’s exchange rollout successes, challenges and enrollment demographics, making plans to address gaps in enrollment and devising operational tactics for the coming year. At the same time, major insurers, such as Aetna and United Health Group, are beginning to report their first quarter results under the new health care law and offer some indication rate hikes next year. 

According to the Associated Press, radiologist, Dr. Ashokkumar Babaria of Moorestown, New Jersey, has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for overseeing an illegal kickback scheme. 

Almost 45 years after publication in JAMA of the results of the first randomized controlled trial of screening mammography in the U.S. by Shapiro, Strax and Venet in 1971, the war continues to rage.

ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 23 — The Johns Hopkins Health System (Baltimore, Md.) has purchased Carestream Health’s Vue PACS which offers innovative radiology features that can further enhance the organization’s ability to help deliver exceptional medical services for patients with a wide range of diseases.