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A good portion of the new investments in digital health over the past two years have come from end users of the technology. The number of health systems setting up their own venture capital arms has exploded, with hospital groups seeking both commercial success and the possibility of discovering technologies that will help solve their business problems. The health systems going down this path have moved well beyond passive investment. They are becoming incubators and accelerators, guiding young companies and entrepreneurs through the healthcare regulatory and commercial maze. “They're investing more and more, and at an earlier stage than ever before,” said Unity Stoakes, president and co-founder of StartUp Health, which invests in and coaches digital-health hopefuls. “It reminds us of 1995 Internet when Netscape first IPO'ed. (Kutscher, 4/9)

In an emergency, hospitals, by law, must treat any patient in the U.S. until he or she is stabilized, regardless of the patient's immigration status or ability to pay. Yet, when it comes time for the hospitals to discharge these patients, the same standard doesn't apply. Though hospitals are legally obligated to find suitable places to discharge patients (for example, to their homes, rehabilitation facilities or nursing homes), their insurance status makes all the difference. (Schumann, 4/9)

For decades, community health workers have tried to fill the system’s gaps. Often hired by the local health department, they take on diverse public health initiatives -- running diabetes or nutrition education programs, counseling patients to stick to their medication regimens or teaching new mothers about vaccinations. But now, hospitals across the country are turning to them in a bid to revamp patient care. They are using these aides to strengthen their relationships with patients and surrounding neighborhoods -- improving the community’s health and, along the way, their own finances. (Luthra, 4/11)

Stace Holland started hunting for ways to slash unnecessary costs the minute he took over an endangered rural hospital that was losing $6 million a year. It didn't take long for him to find plenty. He persuaded the dietary contractor to reduce fees by $15,000 a month. He switched emergency medicine contractors to save $200,000 a year. And he persuaded some full-time employees to drop to 32 hours a week, yielding cost savings equal to cutting 15 FTEs. ... Holland faced a challenge that is all too familiar to rural hospital leaders around the country: declining patient volumes; a preponderance of low-paying Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients; public and private rate squeezes; high incidence of chronic disease and drug abuse; difficulty in recruiting physicians; and a shortage of funds to invest in new equipment and services. Kentucky's successful expansion of Medicaid and private insurance under the Affordable Care Act eased those financial pressures, but didn't eliminate them. (Meyer, 4/9)

An emergency room clogged with patients is an unwelcome sight for everyone involved — patients, doctors and other caregivers alike. Hospitals responded in the past by sending incoming ambulances to other hospitals, sometimes 10 to 15 critical minutes away. But under a policy that took effect this month, hospitals in Milwaukee County are no longer allowed to divert ambulances when their emergency departments have a high volume of patients. (Boulton, 4/9)

Federal officials are expected to argue in court starting Monday that a large hospital merger in the Chicago area could hurt consumers and should be stopped. It would be the latest in a series of efforts by regulators to push back against a wave of consolidation among major health care providers. But a frenzy of smaller transactions is also profoundly changing the landscape, many of which face little regulatory resistance. The deals are often for a couple of doctors here, or a hospital there, making them too small to attract much attention. (Abelson, 4/8)

Hospitals in Milwaukee have implemented new measures in response to a new county policy that prohibits them from sending incoming ambulances to other hospitals. In Milwaukee County, hospitals used to divert ambulances to other facilities when their emergency departments had a high volume of patients. M. Riccardo Colella, director of medical services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, said that critically ill patients were being diverted to more distant hospitals. (4/10)

A second troubled government-run hospital on a Native American reservation in South Dakota was given an extension Friday to reach an agreement with federal officials to make significant quality-of-care improvements to avoid losing its Medicare and Medicaid funds. (Cano, 4/8)