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.

Oct 13 2015

The Choosing Wisely campaign is designed to encourage physicians to  avoid ordering services of questionable value, but so far not much change in the use of the initial list of suspect items.

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2457401
Oct 12 2015

Results from CMS' Comprehensive Primary Care initiative are decidedly mixed.  In 2014 the 433 practices that served 377,000 beneficiaries saved about $24 million but that is before offsetting fees and doesn't say what the results were at the practice level.  Only one region had savings after the fees.

http://blog.cms.gov/2015/10/07/primary-care-makes-strides-in-improving-quality-and-costs/
Oct 09 2015

GoodRx, which helps consumers find low prices on drugs, received an undisclosed additional investment from PE firms.

https://www.pehub.com/2015/10/spectrum-equity-and-francisco-partners-back-goodrx/
Oct 08 2015

According to Markets & Markets, the North American health information technology market will have $104 billion in revenue by 2020.

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/north-america-healthcare-it-market-1190.html
Oct 08 2015

Hixme Insurance Solutions has hit investors up for $10.14 million as it builds its software to support employers using private exchanges to offer health coverage and other benefits.

https://www.pehub.com/2015/10/hixme-insurance-solutions-fetches-10-14-mln-series-a/
Oct 08 2015

CareSync has synced up with $18 million in fresh capital for its chronic disease management software and services.

https://www.pehub.com/2015/10/caresync-snags-18-mln-series-b/
Oct 07 2015

Binary Fountain, which offers health care firms reputation management and patient experience analytics services, has coupled with investors to raise $16 million.

https://www.pehub.com/2015/10/binary-fountain-snaps-up-16-mln/
Oct 07 2015

A Government Accounting Office Report will cheer up by reporting that at least $125 billion of your tax dollars are spent on improper payments, with much of that sum being accounted for by Medicare, Medicaid and other health programs.

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-92T
Oct 07 2015

Conglomerate Phillips is buying Blue Jay Consulting, which provides consulting for hospital ERs, to bolster its health business.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20151006/NEWS/151009955