Gov't health IT spending attracts investments from all over

As part of its foray into health IT, AT&T has partnered with WellDoc, a Baltimore-based company that makes an FDA-approved mobile-phone application to help manage diabetes, The Baltimore Sun reports. "The telecommunications giant launched a new business segment last week that will focus on technology solutions for the health care industry. And WellDoc's software will be pitched by AT&T's huge marketing muscle to commercial clients ranging from hospitals to insurers to employers" (Sentementes, 11/8).

The Wall Street Journal: And, in New Delhi, India, NIIT Technologies is considering buying a firm or software product that would allow it to enter the global health care market. "The plan comes as Indian technology companies eye opportunities from increased U.S. spending to digitize health care records, a potential investment spree that would help offset the impact of the global economic downturn, when clients cut spending and sought lower rates" (Krishna, 11/9).

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This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.