The latest Altarum Institute data on health spending and price growth show some acceleration in the months of April and May.
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According to CareFirst, members in its medical home arrangements had significantly lower utilization of hospital and saved $130 million over expected costs.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/patient-centered-medical-home-program-shows-promising-quality-trends-and-continued-savings-on-expected-costs-266580761.htmlAmerica's Health Insurance Plans released its annual census of health savings account/high deductible plans.
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Medical homes have been implemented for long enough that research is beginning to examine the extent to which they actually improve quality or lower costs. Research published in Health Affairs…
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Adhere Technology, which makes wireless-equipped pill bottles, has raised $1.75 million.
http://medcitynews.com/2014/07/adheretech-developers-behind-smart-pill-bottle-raises-1-75m/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=e9188aad1d-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-e9188aad1d-67648197Healthcare Interactive, which helps employers design wellness plans, has raised an additional $8 million in capital.
http://medcitynews.com/2014/07/big-data-company-payers-health-systems-cut-benefit-costs-raises-8m/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=e9188aad1d-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-e9188aad1d-67648197A Statistical Brief from AHRQ examines out-of-pocket health spending by various categories of Americans.
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Validic, which is building a business around collecting data from wearables, medical devices and other sources, has acquired Infometers, which is in a similar business.
http://medcitynews.com/2014/07/health-data-aggregator-validic-goes-bicoastal-with-infometers-acquisition/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=ed5f3322f3-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-ed5f3322f3-67648197UnitedHealth Group released results of a study in which oncology practices were paid a flat sum for treatment of cancer. While performance on quality of care measures remained the same, total medical costs declined 34%, even though there was greater cost for chemotherapy drugs.
http://www.uhc.com/news_room/2014_news_release_archive/cancer_care_payment_model.htmAn Altarum Institute survey finds that consumers are interested in being engaged in health care but aren't always certain of their ability to do so.
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The latest data from the National Venture Capital Association shows a healthy funding and exit market.
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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.