Morning Headlines 3/26/15

Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network

President Obama and HHS Secretary Silvia Burwell announce a new initiative  tasked with bringing private and public stakeholders together to broker agreements that will push the industry toward value-based reimbursement models faster. A large cohort has joined the initiative, including Anthem, Cigna, Dignity Health, Kaiser Permanente, Partners Healthcare, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Walmart.

Roe Reintroduces Electronic Health Records Legislation to Help Veterans, Military

Representative Phil Roe, MD (R-TN) re-introduces a bill that would establish a $50 million innovation award for anyone that develops an integrated DoD/VA EHR. Oddly, the announcement makes no mention of  the DoD’s ongoing $11 billion EHR procurement.

NHS Mental Health Apps Library to increase access to psychological therapies and help to improve mental health outcomes

In England, the NHS launches a mobile app library of clinically-vetted mental health apps. The new site is the first in a larger effort to consolidate digital health apps for a broad range of conditions.