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.

Sep 10 2014

Alignment Healthcare is purchasing Citizen's Choice, a Medicare Advantage plan in California, which marks an interesting change of direction for Alignment.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/citizens-choice-a-medicare-advantage-health-plan-purchased-by-alignment-healthcare-usa-274461101.html
Sep 10 2014

Team Health, the large physician staffing company, has purchased an anesthesiology group in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/09/mts-health-investors-sells-florida-gulf-to-bay-anesthesiology-associates/
Sep 08 2014

Telus Health, part of the large Canadian telecommunications company, has acquired ZRx Prescriber, a vendor of e-prescribing technology.

http://www.telushealth.com/news-and-events/news-releases/release/2014/09/03/telus-health-acquires-electronic-prescription-technology-zrx-prescriber-from-zoommed
Sep 08 2014

ESO Solutions, a provider of software to the emergency EHR segment, has acquired JefBar Billing, which provides revenue cycle management software and services to the same segment.

http://www.ems1.com/ems-products/ePCR-Electronic-Patient-Care-Reporting/press-releases/1975950-ESO-Solutions-Acquires-JefBar-Billing-and-Dispatch-Software/
Sep 08 2014

Ybrain?  Y not?  Ybrain has raised $3.5 million for its wearable device for alzheimer's patients that stimulates brain activity.  The investors might want to use the device.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/27/ybrain-raises-3-5m-to-fund-trials-of-its-wearable-for-alzheimers-patients/
Sep 08 2014

Wellframe has raised $8.5 million in new financing for its mobile platform for care management.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/09/dfj-leads-8-5-mln-financing-of-digital-health-startup-wellframe/
Sep 08 2014

Markets and Markets forecasts that the care management market will be worth $7.3 billion in 2018.

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/care-management-solutions-market-19482811.html
Sep 05 2014

A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds what it calls "modest" premium increases in 15 exchange states and finds that the premiums for the second-lowest silver plan will have very slight changes, meaning that subsidies payments will likely be reduced.

http://connect.kff.org/new-analysis-tracks-2015-aca-marketplace-premium-changes-?ecid=ACsprvvToV_32evTYYg6MCnXqQnbu8XY3iBEY83l00NRcZh2rp4ammoEQsX8BIVZMYz03__Av5Gg&utm_campaign=KFF%3A+General&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=14025780&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--jasejJgw2rnVccV_aJJrVoZE7UrK-YrVSI4BWIkjuDmDdxjX0v5R4JlT5cak7oHH7ZJVZnIRYugNF7skCc50LwlZJ6A&_hsmi=14025780
Sep 05 2014

2015 Exchange Policy Renewal Rule

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/09/05/2014-21178/patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act-annual-eligibility-redeterminations-for-exchange
Sep 05 2014

$1.75 million has been invested in Axial Healthcare, which focuses on networks, data and software for pain management patients.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/09/axial-healthcare-snags-1-75-mln-series-a/
Sep 05 2014

A study of 30 primary care physician practices, published in JAMIA, finds that implementation of an EHR was associated with lower productivity through seeing less patients, but also with higher revenue, because more services, primarily procedures and tests.  This may lead to an increase in ROI for an EHR but also implies they are associated with higher health spending.

http://jamia.bmj.com/content/early/2014/08/27/amiajnl-2014-002686.abstract