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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.

Dec 24 2013

Welcome news, since there is such a shortage of health app companies, here is a new one, My Own Med, which has raised $1.3 million.

http://www.pehub.com/2013/12/health-platform-my-own-med-attracts-1-3-mln/
Dec 23 2013

Weight loss company Retrofit has gained a few more pounds, errr, dollars, $5 million to be exact, for expanding its business.

http://www.pehub.com/2013/12/cambia-health-solutions-and-dfj-lead-5-mln-round-for-retrofit/
Dec 23 2013

A report from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission strongly opposes further hospital and physician group practice consolidation on the grounds that it will raise prices.

http://www.mass.gov/anf/docs/hpc/hpc-preliminary-review-of-phs-ssh-harbor-12-18-2013.pdf
Dec 23 2013

A company called Health:ELT is seeking to raise an additional $2.5 million for its tools to aid Medicaid programs, plans and enrollees in managing care and health.  The company says it already had $5 million invested from its founders.

http://medcitynews.com/2013/12/health-firm-raising-2-5m-digital-tools-help-mcos-manage-engage-medicaid-patients/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=0aafd0b951-RSS_Daily+Top+Stories&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-0aafd0b951-67648197
Dec 20 2013

Christmas present or lump of coal?  The administration has announced it will allow persons whose insurance was cancelled because it didn't comply with standards under the reform law to not comply with the individual mandate next year or to comply by buying a bare-bones policy.  Cold comfort for millions who were happy with the health insurance they had.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/20/us-usa-healthcare-cancellations-idUSBRE9BJ05N20131220?utm_campaign=KHN%253A%2520Daily%2520Health%2520Policy%2520Report&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=11474193&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_fEy7T-sdXMESZJ7sCC6NLQ9ob7Qkur0LlFmIqg9mzB3hFZQzfkmznphnfAVB8UID8y4ZQB5t89oFMigP-GrqgS11hDw&_hsmi=11474193
Dec 20 2013

According to an Ipsos poll, 72% of Americans prefer to be cared for by a doctor instead of a nurse practitioner, and a similar number would prefer that a loved one receive care from a physician.

http://ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=6361
Dec 20 2013

According to a report from a CitiBank analyst, hospital admissions are the weakest in a decade, due to a change in the Medicare observation stay rules and confusion over the health care rollout.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/17/us-hospitals-admissions-idUSBRE9BG18J20131217?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Dec 20 2013

Home Care Delivered, a vendor of home medical supplies for diabetes, wound care and other medical needs, has been recapitalized by FNB Capital Partners.

https://www.pehub.com/2013/12/f-n-b-capital-partners-closes-fourth-investment/
Dec 20 2013

A study in JAMA Surgery finds that use of robots in colon surgery results in no better quality, but significantly higher costs.

http://archsurg.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1790379
Dec 20 2013

Congress has passed a short term override of the SGR formula implementation for 2014, avoiding a 24% cut in physician payments from Medicare.  A longer term fix appears closer than in past years.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20131218/NEWS/312189951/budget-bill-with-short-term-sgr-fix-clears-congress-ready-for-obama?AllowView=VW8xUmo5Q21TcWJOb1gzb0tNN3RLZ0h0MWg5SVgra3NZRzROR3l0WWRMWGFWdndKRWxiNUtpQzMyWmFwNW5RWUpibWdiUlVxdzBRYzlpS1ZCZjQ5emp5ZHN0bjFRZGU2UmI5WEhxMFIwZXZ3ZUxPbTdkVktKc1dhL0VwL0VlczNoR3dGcGZVelREM3AxUTVlL2x1cUU0bXk2cnVMc0lzPQ==
Dec 19 2013

Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that pharmacogenetics may not provide much assistance in improving dosing and management of blood thinner therapies.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1310669
Dec 19 2013

Patient engagement is all the rage but there is not yet good evidence that it  helps improve patient safety, according to a survey of research on the topic published in the BMJ Quality & Safety.

http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/early/2013/12/13/bmjqs-2012-001769?papetoc
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