Morning Headlines 12/13/13

AthenaHealth shares plunge on disappointing 2014 earnings outlook

AthenaHealth shares dropped 14 percent in after hours trading Wednesday on weak earnings forecasts ($0.98-$1.10 EPS) for 2014, that missed analysts estimates of $1.38 EPS.

Health Information Exchange Improves Identification Of Frequent Emergency Department Users

A study published in Health Affairs finds that using community-wide data from a HIE improves the ability to identify frequent emergency department users because visit history can be measured across unaffiliated hospitals. When analyzing HIE-wide data instead of site-specific data, 20.3 percent more frequent ED users were identified.

Cerner to take charge against earnings after arbitration ruling

Trinity Medical Center (ND) will receive an undisclosed settlement nearly two years after suing Cerner over accounting software purchased in 2008 that it claimed was "defective and did not deliver the promised benefits." Trinity was seeking $240 million in damages, while Cerner argued that damages should not have been higher than $4 million. The two agreed to arbitration hearings in October and a final settlement amount has now been reached. Cerner will take a $0.19 charge against its anticipated Q4 EPS of $0.35 to cover the loss.

Health Insurance Marketplace: December Enrollment Report

Healthcare.gov enrolled 258,497 in November, bringing the State and Federal total since launch to 365,000.