Lucent retirees concerned after Alcatel merger

Members of the Lucent Retirees Organisation are concerned the merger of Lucent Technologies with Alcatel SA means pension or healthcare benefits will be slashed, reports New Jersey.

Though Lucent has a $34 billion pension plan, some claim the management plan is under-funded by $1.2 billion because Lucent has used money to cover retirees` healthcare and severance pay each time the company downsized.

Lucent CEO Pat Russo addressed the issue on a conference call with investors, saying the merger does not require approval from the Lucent Retirees Organisation. There are 127 000 Lucent retirees, 50 000 of whom are management. Coverage of dependents brings the number of people receiving benefits to 235 000.

Veteran Affairs (VA) hospitals in the US have gone high-tech, putting medical records of patients into coordinated computer networks, thereby increasing efficiency and improving patient care, reports the Pasadena Star News.

During Hurricane Katrina, veterans plucked from rooftops received appropriate medical treatment much more quickly than Medicare patients because VA patient records were readily accessible at whatever hospital or clinic they were sent to for treatment.

Now, two bills extend these technological breakthroughs to California. One will provide a 15% tax incentive for private California hospitals and healthcare providers to set up health information technology systems, including the creation of electronic medical records. The second puts medical records and other identifying information into a smart card.

Intel is engaged in developing an IT-based ecosystem that can deliver mission-critical healthcare related information to the medical community as and when required, reports DQ Channels.

"This is a new focus area for Intel. Now we are trying to provide healthcare-specific platforms that can create market opportunities for OEMs, ODMs and ISVs to apply IT in order to help the healthcare industry solve some of the basic problems," explained Doug Busch, VP and CTO at Intel`s Digital Health Group.