Research published in Health Affairs digs a little further into the dynamics of patients who tend to be responsible for a high percentage of all health spending.
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Epion Health, a supplier of patient intake software, has raised somewhere around $7 million in new financing.
http://medcitynews.com/2015/09/epion-health-raises-follow-on-funding-to-scale-business-for-new-provider-customers/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=af24b3b3a1-MCN+Daily+Email&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5092836c41-af24b3b3a1-408793005Clockwise MD decided its time to raise some funds, without a second to lose, getting a minute $1 million to support its software to help patients and providers identify wait times.
http://medcitynews.com/2015/09/clockwisemd-raises-1m/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=37502e64e0-MCN+Daily+Email&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5092836c41-37502e64e0-408793005A study in Health Affairs suggests that the neighborhood you grow up in likely has little association with your risk for developing certain chronic diseases, suggesting that early interventions are not likely to be efficacious in reducing prevalence of these diseases.
http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/34/9/1472.abstract?=rightThe Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General finds woeful mismanagement by the department of the contracts and work to build the federal health insurance exchange.
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Large dental supply firm Dentsply is acquiring competitor Sirona Dental for $5.5 billion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/16/business/dealbook/dentsply-to-acquire-sirona-dental-for-5-5-billion.html?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+Daily+Health+Policy+Report&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=22074792&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_p_iA9MCAcjWe0XRXQDBO2uV9e20H0Rq0i3N9KsroqS4N1laawnWwqfC8oOgumtqlG91dwsNWJU00W6tMjnaFTI_fzPH-nRB0sHqlG5dDpDNQJxq0&_hsmi=22074792&_r=0Proving that making lots of money doesn't make a company smarter, Google is apparently investing $32.5 million in struggling "new style" insurer Oscar, at a $1.75 billion. So far Oscar has mostly shown it needs a good actuary.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/google-backs-startup-oscar-health-insurance-1442374756?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+Daily+Health+Policy+Report&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=22074792&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8cZicOlwwg6VnAY8BWJDTC6HEnJvoFIt1anPy0KOLFgcLspdcIO6GE6qyxEM7d5Z802aQ4KfV7fRrAr3tRdQ4ubVrtgd0dOHOuRzwwxxT0Bn4UjNE&_hsmi=22074792About 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.