All Posts By

Kevin Roche

The Healthy Skeptic is a website about the health care system, and is written by Kevin Roche, who has many years of experience working in the health industry through Roche Consulting, LLC. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.

Jan 20 2016

Research published in Medical Care suggests that at least some hospitals may be using early discharges to post-acute care facilities to both reduce exposure to readmission penalties and as a way to make more money on fixed inpatient reimbursement rates.

http://journals.lww.com/lww-medicalcare/Abstract/2016/02000/Variation_in_Hospital_Use_of_Postacute_Care_After.10.aspx?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRons6%2FOde%2FhmjTEU5z17e8oXKS2lMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4DSsdiNK%2BTFAwTG5toziV8R7LMKM1ty9MQWxTk
Jan 20 2016

We will cover this more in a longer post, but one study in a JAMA end-of-life care-themed issue finds that physicians are less likely to receive intense care at the end of life or to die in a hospital.  Do as I do, not as I order.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2482318
Jan 15 2016

UK-based Babylon Health has gathered a decadent $25 million to support its mobile app that uses AI to help patients with health problems.

http://techcrunch.com/2016/01/13/babylon-health/
Jan 15 2016

A PE firm is acquiring the Wellness Network, which basically provides in-hospital health TV programs.

https://www.pehub.com/2016/01/wafra-partners-buys-the-wellness-network/
Jan 14 2016

PE firm Audax has purchased Lifemark Health and Viewpoint Medical Assessments from Centric Health for around 230 million Canadian dollars.  The firms conduct rehabilitation assessment and therapy.

https://www.pehub.com/2016/01/658550/
Jan 14 2016

Patient communication engagement vendor mPulse Mobile has vibrated $10 million in new capital out of investors.

http://medcitynews.com/2016/01/mpulse-mobile-raises/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=bd27c241e6-JPMorganHealthcareConferenceRSSEmail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5092836c41-bd27c241e6-408793005
Jan 14 2016

Health kiosk vendor higi raised some high gees, $40 million worth, to support expansion of the business.

http://medcitynews.com/2016/01/higi-ceo-talks-about-how-it-will-use-40m-fundraise-for-consumer-wellness-partners/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=bd27c241e6-JPMorganHealthcareConferenceRSSEmail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5092836c41-bd27c241e6-408793005
Jan 13 2016

Docent Health garners $2.3 million to support its business of making a hospital stay like being in a fancy hotel.  How about we spend some money actually making hospitals more efficient and costing less.

https://www.pehub.com/2016/01/new-venture-aims-to-fill-customer-service-void-in-healthcare-reuters/
Jan 13 2016

Great Hill gives a mountain of money to RxBenefits in a recap for the vendor of pharmacy benefit management services to small and mid-sized companies.

https://www.pehub.com/2016/01/657617/
Jan 13 2016

EmployerDirect Healthcare has been recapped in a Series C round for an undisclosed amount.  The company has a centers of excellence surgery network it sells to self-funded plans.

https://www.pehub.com/2016/01/dundon-capital-buys-majority-of-emply/