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 03 2014

MedAware, which provides data analytics in regard to use of prescription meds, has received $1 million in financing.

https://www.pehub.com/2014/10/ourcrowd-and-ge-ventures-backs-medaware/
Oct 02 2014

Despite the change in Medicare reimbursement designed to ensure more appropriate prescribing for in-office oncology drugs, a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that oncologists continued to prescribe such medications at the same or an increased rate.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/219216-study-cancer-costs-skyrocketed-despite-drug-cuts
Oct 02 2014

A study in Health Affairs finds that for-profit home health agencies seeing Medicare patients have higher costs and lower quality than non-profit ones.

http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/33/8/1460.abstract
Oct 01 2014

In an effort to ensure that especially elderly people take their drugs as prescribed, a variety of new ways of packaging medications, including electronic devices to tell when a person has at least removed the drug from the package.  A metareview in JAMA finds little strong evidence to suggest that such methods increase adherence, although certain reminder systems may have had an effect.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1906619
Sep 30 2014

A Markets & Markets report estimates that the patient engagement market will be worth $13.7 billion globally in 2019.

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/patient-engagement-solutions-market-105975994.html
Sep 30 2014

UnitedHealth Group is buying physician practice manager firm MedSynergies, which has about 9000 doctors using its services.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/unitedhealth-buy-doctor-management-company-133606245.html
Sep 30 2014

Pristine raised $5.4 million to develop products using Google Glass for teaching doctors.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/09/pristine-raises-series-a-led-by-s3-ventures/
Sep 29 2014

Cohealo has received $3.1 million to support its business of helping hospitals analyze use of expensive medical equipment.

http://medcitynews.com/2014/09/startup-coheala-nets-3-1m-help-hospitals-better-manage-medical-equipment/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=decd69a383-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-decd69a383-67677117
Sep 29 2014

Array Health, a vendor of private health insurance exchange technology, has raised $13 million in capital.

http://arrayhealth.com/news/array-health-closes-first-round-of-institutional-financing-to-accelerate-growth/
Sep 29 2014

Universal Health Services, the large for-profit hospital chain, is acquiring Cygnet Health Care, which operates inpatient behavioral health programs in the UK, for $335 million.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20140926/NEWS/309269964&utm_source=AltURL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=am&AllowView=VXQ0UnpwZTVBL2FZL1IzSkUvSHRlRU9nalVvZEErQlo=?mh