Kansas City, Detroit firms jockey for stimulus money

In case anyone was doubting this scenario, mobile and wireless IT vendors are--get this--positioning themselves to capture some of the federal stimulus money. Yeah, we were shocked, too.

Once the incredulity wore off, we realized that it makes for many a good local story to talk about how area businesses stand to benefit. In Kansas City, MO, the Kansas City Star surveyed the local business community on healthcare reform in general. Many companies in that region talked about cost control without offering many specifics. A few discussed wellness promotion, while others debated tax-related issues. We found one area of interest: "Sprint Nextel and Cerner have positions that are more focused on their revenue possibilities--in wireless telemedicine and computerized health records. Clearly, they back those aspects of reform."

Yes, we know that Cerner stands to be a big winner when the stimulus money hits for electronic health records, but Sprint Nextel, based in Overland Park, KS, and brethren in the wireless communications industry bear watching. We haven't heard of any major healthcare initiatives from Sprint, but that company is now on our radar screen.

In hard-hit Michigan, EnovateIT, a maker of mobile computing carts and wall-mounted computer stations for hospitals, represents a glimmer of hope for the business community, according to Crain's Detroit Business. Customers include the two Detroit-area entrants on the Hospitals & Health Networks magazine's "Most Wireless" list, namely Crittenton Hospital Medical Center in Rochester, MI, and the Detroit Medical Center.

For more on these companies and their stimulus prospects:
- see the Kansas City Star feature on healthcare reform
- read the EnovateIT story in Crain's Detroit Business (reg. req.)