Morning Headlines 8/7/15

Watson to Gain Ability to “See” with Planned $1B Acquisition of Merge Healthcare

IBM announces plans to acquire Merge Healthcare for $1 billion, with the goal of integrating Merge’s imaging services with IBM’s Watson initiative so that Watson customers could review diagnostic images with analytical assistance.

Karen DeSalvo nomination moves to the Senate floor

The Senate HELP Committee unanimously approves Karen DeSalvo, MD’s nomination for assistant secretary of HHS, a position she has filled in an interim capacity since last fall. Her nomination will now move to the Senate floor for consideration.

US hospitals urge DOJ antitrust probe of Anthem-Cigna deal

In a letter to the Department of Justice, AHA lobbies for a review of the proposed Anthem-Cigna merger, citing concerns that the shrinking payer market will inevitably reduce competition and drive up insurance costs.

Computer algorithm could aid in early detection of life-threatening sepsis

Researchers from Johns Hopkins have developed a new algorithm that detects early sepsis with an 85 percent accuracy, and without increasing false positives over current methods.