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 02 2013

The number of issues relating to the reform law is embarrassing and we don't want to appear to be piling on by mentioning them all, but the Administration has had to delay by a year the program to allow small business to purchase health insurance on the health exchange.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20131127/NEWS/311279950?AllowView=VDl3UXpKSzRDUE9CbkJiYkY0M3hla0tyaUVVZEQrWT0=&utm_source=link-20131127-NEWS-311279950&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hits&utm_name=top
Dec 02 2013

CVS Caremark is buying the home infusion of Apria Healthcare, Coram, for about $2.1 billion.  This will make CVS the largest provider of home infusion and a bigger player in specialty drugs.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-27/cvs-agrees-to-buy-apria-s-coram-unit-for-2-1-billion.html
Dec 02 2013

More trouble for the formulation of CMS' quality measures, as a University of Michigan study finds that that the data used by Medicare to compare hospitals on how well they do at preventing bedsores is seriously flawed and inaccurate, since in some cases it is based on claims data and in some cases on actual nurse bedside exams.

http://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/201310/hospital-report-cards-hospital-acquired-bedsores-how-good
Dec 02 2013

A study at Duke finds that an intervention to improve medication adherence by patients after a hospital stay did a good job at that but did not significantly affect readmissions.

http://hin.com/Healthcare_Business_Weekly_Update/2013/11/25/staying-on-medication-%20%20may-not-lower-hospital-readmissions/
Nov 29 2013

OIG Strategic Plan 2014

http://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/strategic-plan/files/OIG-Strategic-Plan-2014-2018.pdf
Nov 29 2013

The HHS Office of Inspector General releases its annual strategic plan, which is must reading for anyone involved with Medicare, Medicaid or other government programs.  EHRs will be a focus of investigations.

http://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/strategic-plan/files/OIG-Strategic-Plan-2014-2018.pdf
Nov 29 2013

According to a statement by the publicity department at CMS, Medicare beneficiaries saved about $3 billion in drug costs this year due to the reform law's gradual closing of the "donut" hole.

http://cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-Releases/2013-Press-Releases-Items/2013-11-26.html
Nov 29 2013

According to a Mercer survey of large employers, health care insurance costs per employee have risen 4.5% this year and the employers expect a larger increase next year.

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-employer-healthcare-costs-20131126,0,5748812.story#axzz2lqNSNZ4i
Nov 29 2013

HHS has released the final rule on the tax on health insurance plans, which will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums.

http://www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2013-28412_PI.pdf
Nov 27 2013

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine surveys research on the effect of patient portals and finds little evidence that this form of communication between patients and doctors either improves quality or lowers costs, although patients do like using them.

http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1770672
Nov 27 2013

A study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research suggests that use of self-monitoring mobile phone app with daily text messages can help women and racial minorities lose weight.

http://www.jmir.org/2013/11/e244/
Nov 27 2013

Aetna is acquiring the InterGlobal Group, which provides health care coverage for about 65,000 persons in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

http://newshub.aetna.com/press-release/corporate-and-financial/aetna-acquire-interglobal-group
Nov 26 2013

According to a survey reported in VentureBeat, half of angel investors regret an investment they made, usually because of overly optimistic financial projections.  Angel investing is important to innovation, as they put $20 billion into companies a year, so hopefully the disappointment doesn't lead to closed wallets.

http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/21/half-of-angel-investors-regret-investments-they-made-this-year-survey/