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.

Aug 28 2014

Medtronic is not only seeking to lower its taxes by acquisition activity, but is also continuing to move into services, most recently by acquiring NGC Medical, which operates cath labs in Italy and hopes to expand to other European countries.  The purchase price was $350 million.

http://www.fiercemedicaldevices.com/press-releases/medtronic-acquires-ngc-medical-strengthen-its-integrated-health-solutions-p?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
Aug 28 2014

Roper Industries has purchased Strategic Healthcare Programs, a vendor of data analytics and reporting services to the post-acute segment.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/08/cc-and-level-equity-exit-strategic-healthcare-programs/
Aug 27 2014

Airstrip, which makes clinical data available on cell phones and other mobile devices, has raised another $25 million, ostensibly to support a move into home health.  The company must be burning cash at a pretty good rate and likely has modest revenue at best.

http://medcitynews.com/2014/08/two-airstrip-customers-support-25m-fundraise-to-move-into-home-health-market/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=21e6a9e5f5-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-21e6a9e5f5-67648197
Aug 27 2014

Another firm selling buzzwords, Lumiata, is seeking to raise $6.3 million for its predictive analytics platform aimed at hospitals.

http://medcitynews.com/2014/08/predictive-health-analytics-startup-lumiata-raising-6-3m/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=21e6a9e5f5-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-21e6a9e5f5-67648197
Aug 27 2014

Wearable Intelligence has raised $7.9 million to support apps that provide health data from wearable gadgets.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/08/wearable-intelligence-picks-up-7-9-mln/
Aug 27 2014

Its not just in the US that people are looking for more convenient and cheaper ways to access clinicians.  China's Chunyu has raised $50 million to support its service of connecting patients to doctors through phone or internet communications.

http://www.techinasia.com/doctor-consultation-app-chinas-biggest-investment-healthcare-startup/
Aug 27 2014

Comprehend Systems, a vendor of software allowing drug and device developers to track their clinical development programs, has raised an additional $21 million in funding.

http://www.comprehend.com/comprehend-raises-21-million-series-b-funding/
Aug 26 2014

Okay, what is the world coming to?  First a smart toothbrush that tracks our dental hygiene, now a smart cup that checks our beverage consumption?  Mark One, which makes the Vessyl, has raised $3 million for its product, with the investors clearly needing something that tracks what they are smoking, eating or drinking.  What's next, a toilet that measures our excretory capabilities?

http://wearableworldnews.com/2014/08/21/vessyl-smartcup-drinks-3-million-investment/
Aug 26 2014

Patient flow software vendor Strata Health has captured an additional investment from Polaris to expand into the US and other markets.

http://stratahealth.com/news/strata-health-receives-growth-investment-polaris-partners/
Aug 26 2014

According to a survey sponsored by InsuranceQuotes.com, young adults age 18-29 are the least likely group to have health insurance and most likely to feel they don't need it and it is too expensive for the value offered.

http://www.insurancequotes.com/health/millennials-and-insurance
Aug 26 2014

UnitedHealth Group, the nation's largest health insurer, is planning to dramatically increase its presence on the health insurance exchanges, from 4 states to 24.  The insurer has the advantage of understanding rating and benefit design of those who participated last year.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/unitedhealth-plans-to-sell-health-exchange-policies-in-24-states-1408716573
Aug 26 2014

According to a VentureBeat article, doctors are uninterested in all the wonderful data flowing from mobile apps, fitbits, etc., having concerns about accuracy and data security.

http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/15/guess-what-doctors-dont-care-about-your-fitbit-data/
Aug 26 2014

Predictive analytics company Medalogix, which focuses on readmission risk, has raised $5 million to extend its services to the skilled nursing facility segment.

http://medcitynews.com/2014/08/medalogix-raises-5m-to-add-skilled-nursing-facilities-to-predictive-analytics-tool/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=1737f02182-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-1737f02182-67648197