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.

Dec 06 2013

Shareable Ink, a provider of HIT services to aid in clinical decision support and analytics, has raised $10.7 million in a Series C round.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/12/prweb11388851.htm
Dec 06 2013

Kitara Media has acquired Health Guru, a provider of health videos, for 18 million shares of Kitara stock.

http://www.adotas.com/2013/12/kitara-media-acquires-healthguru-com-combined-business-2014-revenues-estimated-at-50mm/
Dec 06 2013

IMS Global Use of Medicines Report

http://www.imshealth.com/deployedfiles/imshealth/Global/Content/Corporate/IMS%20Health%20Institute/Reports/Global_Use_of_Meds_Outlook_2017/IIHI_Global_Use_of_Meds_Report_2013.pdf
Dec 06 2013

Cerner is providing computing and software infrastructure in a partnership with Claritas Genomics to assist providers in the ordering and use of genetic diagnostic tests.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20131205/NEWS/312059958?AllowView=VDl3UXpKSzdDdkdCbkJiYkY0M3hla0dwaWtVZEQrND0=&utm_source=link-20131205-NEWS-312059958&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hits&utm_name=top
Dec 06 2013

According to research in the journal Chest, use of tele-ICU services was associated with lower mortality and faster discharges from the ICU and the hospital.

http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleID=1788059
Dec 06 2013

An AHRQ Statistical Brief examines the top 5 therapeutic classes of drug use for adults in 2010, which were metabolic agents, CNS drugs, cardiovascular, psychiatric and gastrointestinal.  These classes accounted for about $153 billion of spending or 60% of total drug spending.

http://meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st410/stat410.shtml
Dec 05 2013

Clarity Health, which provides care coordination services across providers, has raised $6.6 million for sales and development purposes.

http://www.newsday.com/business/press-releases/clarity-health-services-completes-6-6-million-investment-round-on-heels-of-triple-digit-year-to-date-growth-1.6539301
Dec 05 2013

ClearData Networks, a provider of cloud-based health care computing resources, has raised $14 million in expansion capital.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/morning_call/2013/12/phoenixs-cleardata-networks-lands-14.html
Dec 05 2013

UnitedHealth Group has told investors that fees under the reform law and cuts to Medicare Advantage will reduce earnings by around $1 billion.  It is likely other large health plan companies will be similarly affected.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/unitedhealth-details-expected-2014-overhaul-hits/2013/12/03/919f5f46-5c65-11e3-8d24-31c016b976b2_story.html
Dec 05 2013

New Mountain Capital has purchased Medical Specialties Distributors from Water Street.  MSD is a leading provider of products to the home infusion market.

http://www.newmountaincapital.com/downloads/Medical_Specialties_Distributors_Partners_with_New_Mountain_Capital_(14kb_-_PDF).pdf
Dec 05 2013

An article in the Journal of Palliative Care finds that palliative care can reduce ER visits and overall spending and improve the quality of end-of-life care, but faces many obstacles, including a balkanized system and lack of trained palliative care professionals.

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jpm.2013.9464
Dec 05 2013

AHRQ releases a Statistical Brief showing that the most common sources of adverse drug events during a hospitalization in 2011 were steroids, anticoagulants, antibiotics and narcotics.

http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb164.jsp
Dec 05 2013

Medicare 2014 Physician Payment Rule

https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2013-28696.pdf