Morning Headlines 6/26/14

Four to six teams expected to bid on Defense health record effort

FCW predicts that a total of just four to six teams will compete for the upcoming DoD EHR contract, with three already being identified as: Epic/IBM, CSC/Allscripts/HP, and VA/Vista.

A medical first: Quadriplegic man controls arm using a chip implanted in his brain

A quadriplegic man has regained muscle control of his arm through the help of a computer chip implanted in his brain that captures and transmits commands to an electrode-packed sleeve worn around his arm. One researcher explains “It’s much like a heart bypass, but instead of bypassing blood, we’re actually bypassing electrical signals. We’re taking those signals from the brain, going around the injury, and actually going directly to the muscles."

Verizon Expands Access to Medical Care for Patients, With ‘Verizon Virtual Visits’

Verizon introduces a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform that it will market to health systems, payers, and employers.