We offer an early look at technology vendors' plans for this fall's NAHC meeting, beginning with the names that have been in the news lately as subjects or objects of mergers and acquisitions.

Among all the ways in which home health care is unique, its proclivity to attract new vendors to serve its needs is the most consistent and yet the hardest to comprehend. Software vendors with back office billing systems for hospitals can be counted on two hands. Our recent attempt to get an accurate count of similar companies with home care and/or hospice applications found nearly 50. Is there room for one or two more? There will undoubtedly be at least that many at this year's NAHC Annual Meeting. Only time will tell whether they will still be around for next year's meeting in Las Vegas. Here are two that have come to our attention recently.

We count at least eight significant mergers and acquisitions among home care and hospice technology vendors within the last 12 months. Is there a deep meaning to this flurry of activity? Or is it no more than a sign of the times? If so, what do those signs mean? And how do we read them to predict the next announcement? Guest commentator John Shinn offers one perspective.

Intel Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire McAfee, Inc., through the purchase of all of the company’s common stock at $48 per share in cash, or approximately $7.68 billion.

— Home Health Gold adds RAC audit protection
— Homecare Homebase customers can now predict 2011 Medicare revenue with new module
— Hospice of Central PA improves payroll and invoicing processes with CellTrak system