Welcome new Rethinking Healthcare editor Stacy Lipson

Healthcare touches nearly everyone. That's why its future path is so critical.

From hospitals to managed care facilities, R&D to drugs, health is an increasingly complex and political topic -- with a lot of business at stake.

Simply, it's too big a job for one reporter to handle alone.

That's why we're happy to welcome Stacy Lipson, who will join Janet Fang on SmartPlanet's Rethinking Healthcare blog.

Stacy is a freelance journalist who specializes in health issues. Her work has appeared in Natural Health magazine, MSNBC's Body Odd, HealthDay.com, Sprig.com, MarieClaire.com and others, including our management-minded sister site, BNET.

On Rethinking Healthcare, Stacy will join Janet in covering the movers and shakers (and technology) of the rapidly-changing healthcare industry. Stay tuned for stories about improved imaging and diagnostic equipment, novel new drugs, improved outpatient techniques and -- underneath it all -- the business imperatives behind these moves.

(And if you've been reading us regularly, you'll know that she's already slipped a few stories into the stream.)

Please welcome her! --The Editors