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.

May 01 2014

According to a report from MedData, physicians frequently go online to get information related to clinical issues, most frequently use search engines to aid them and say that the biggest problem they have with online health information is that patients often misunderstand what they find online.

http://www.meddatagroup.com/wp-content/uploads/MedDataGroup-Health2.0-Movement-Q22014.pdf
May 01 2014

A study in the Journal of Adolescent Health finds that young adults who obtain health insurance continue to use the ER at very high rates, and while they have higher overall health spending than their uninsured peers, they have the same level of out-of-pocket spending.  You can lead em to the insurance, but you can't make em drink it right.

http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(14)00112-8/abstract
Apr 30 2014

Press Ganey, which helps providers improve patient satisfaction and quality, is acquiring Dynamic Clinical Solutions, which helps patients collect medical information and provide it to physicians.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20140429/NEWS/304299925?AllowView=VDl3UXk1TzlDUDJCbkJiYkY0M3hlMGVyaGtVZENPTT0=&utm_source=link-20140429-NEWS-304299925&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hits&utm_name=top
Apr 30 2014

According to an analysis by Mark Farrah Associates, Medicare supplement enrollment continues to grow.  Some experts believe Medicare supplement policies create overutilization of services.

http://www.markfarrah.com/healthcare-business-strategy/Med-Supp-Enrollment-Continues-to-Grow.aspx
Apr 30 2014

StartUp Health says the first quarter of 2014 saw 133 investment transactions for "digital health", worth a total of #1.35 billion.

http://medcitynews.com/2014/04/digital-health-investment-tops-1-35-billion-first-quarter/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=5ae5cc1131-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-5ae5cc1131-67648197
Apr 29 2014

Alignment Healthcare has secured a $125 million financing commitment from General Atlantic to roll out its population health management tools.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/04/general-atlantic-invests-125-mln-in-alignment-healthcare/
Apr 29 2014

Big Health, a UK-based provider of software and care plans to help with sleep problems, has raised $3.3 million.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/04/london-digital-health-startup-big-health-scores-3-3-mln/
Apr 29 2014

Doximity, the online network aimed at physicians, has raised a $54 million Series C round.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/04/doximity-raises-54-mln-from-dfj-t-rowe-price-others/
Apr 29 2014

Liberate Health, which provides tablet-based software to facilitate care plan discussions with patients, has been acquired by NextJ Systems.

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/CRM-Vendor-Targets-Patient-Engagement-in-Acquisition-47930-1.html?utm_campaign=daily-apr%2029%202014&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&ET=healthdatamanagement%3Ae2610690%3A3722900a%3A&st=email
Apr 29 2014

Tuven Health Analytics has acquired Fortel Analytics which makes software to identify potentially fraudulent health care claims.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20140428/Truven-Health-Analytics-announces-acquisition-of-Fortel-Analytics-healthcare-fraud-technology.aspx
Apr 29 2014

According to an iVantage Health Analytics report, rural hospitals are far less expensive than urban ones for the same diagnoses and deliver just as good a quality and patient satisfaction.

http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/program_results_reports/2014/rwjf412688
Apr 29 2014

Cigna has released the 8th annual report on high deductible plans, finding that costs were 12% lower for members in those plans and they were much more likely to engage in activities like completing an HRA.

http://newsroom.cigna.com/images/9022/874630_ExecutiveSummary_FINAL.pdf