Healthways officials have signed an expanded agreement to offer their SilverSneakers fitness program to senior enrolled in the various insurance plans offered in the Philadelphia region by Independence Blue Cross. The two companies have been working together since 2008.

The principals behind a timeshare consulting venture that opened a Nashville office last year have gone on trial in New Jersey after being indicted on a variety of fraud charges that resulted in about $2.6 million in losses. The sad irony: In announcing their Nashville move last September, the VO Group team said they specialize in working with people "who are the victims of fraud and misrepresentation."

New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow has approved the merger of a struggling hospital targeted by Community Health Systems with a hospital system that straddles the New Jersey/Pennsylvania state line. Franklin-based CHS, which runs a hospital in nearby Easton, Pa., had this summer submitted a partnership plan valued at a total of $70 million.

Longtime local health care IT player HMS has announced that it has helped another hospital reach meaningful use standards.

Mountainside Hospital, a 365-bed suburban facility in Montclair, N.J., has met Stage 1 meaningful use criteria using the certified electronic health record (EHR) from Healthcare Management Systems Inc.(R) (HMS). By successfully attesting for Stage 1 meaningful use with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Mountainside can receive payments from EHR incentive programs.

The V O Group, LLC, a New Jersey-based timeshare consulting firm with offices in Nashville and Egg Harbor Township, N.J., announced Thursday it will open a third office in Dennis, Mass., (near Cape Cod) in early January. The company (the full name is Vacation Ownership Group) specializes in assisting victims of timeshare fraud and timeshare consumers seeking resolution to their unresolved complaints.

The V O Group currently employs over 100 people in New Jersey and Tennessee combined, and plans to double that number when the Cape Cod office is fully staffed.

"We will open in Cape Cod in January with around 50 employees. Our plan is to move that number to 100 by summer. Our goal is to be the largest employer in Cape Cod within 18 months," said Adam Lacerda, V O Group President and CEO. "We are extremely excited to be able to move into Cape Cod and even more excited to open our largest office to date."