Research carried in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds a modest benefit from a text message-based intervention to help manage risk factors related to heart disease.
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A presentation at an Altarum Institute Conference gives a good summary of new approaches to reimbursement.
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Atigeo, a "big data" company that has offerings for health care companies, has raised $18.4 million from investors, including provider system Ascension Health's venture arm, and has issued the biggest load of pompous, self-serving s**t I have ever seen in a press release, referring to itself as a "compassionate technology company for a wiser planet". How bout you make a product that actually delivers value to customers and provides a return for investors.
https://www.pehub.com/2015/09/atigeo-raises-18-4-mln/A Commonwealth Fund blog post suggests that increasing the differential between younger and older adults' premiums under the reform law would end up costing the government more in higher subsidies, but gives no alternative solution for the very unfair situation of charging relatively healthy young people excessive premiums to pay for older adults health care.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/blog/2015/sept/charging-older-adults-higher-premiums-could-cost-taxpayers2015 Kaiser Employer Health Benefits Survey
http://kff.org/health-costs/report/2015-employer-health-benefits-survey/?utm_campaign=KFF%3A+2015+September+EHBS&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=22204092&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--Rqotq-jlGf2kYFJsVapjQSLD34RYUxZ3zx9Na8r20FrPjmOh9g81pFhRB6lbd0-qfgiTwWVrTuWnVZRPLZAUQkRGiPu8KpALACvC2ycgKHrm-jX0&_hsmi=22204092According to JAMA research, patients think a doctor who delivers an optimistic message is more compassionate and would prefer him or her to one delivering a pessimistic message, suggesting that the content of a message unduly affects a patient's perspective of the physician delivering it. Another item to add to patient education.
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2441250Two studies in Health Affairs find that chronic disease prevalence is probably higher than assumed and that the reform law's insurance expansion may lead to more diagnosis of these diseases.
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About this Blog
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. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.