Medicare is cutting payments to 721 hospitals by as much as 1% for their failure to improve infection rates and reduce other hospital-acquired conditions as much as CMS things they should.
AMN Healthcare Services, a large staffing firm, is acquiring three related businesses for $82.5 million, including Onward Healthcare, Locum Leaders and Medefis.
Investors of the world, I beg you, I beg you, beg you, beg you; please stop this madness, I can't take it anymore! Feverish investors have put a hot $9.6 million into a smartphone-connected thermometer offered by Kinsa, but they may be cool to the returns.
In emerging news, eMerge.Md, is merging with Avizia, in others words merging its emerging telemedicine software business with Avizia's emerging telemedicine hardware business. Neither company has merged before so there is no remerging going on.
American Well, the telehealth company, has raised an additional $80 million in capital. You have to wonder how, in an industry with no barriers to entry and no real differentiators, anything thinks they are going to get a return on this investment.
According to eHealth Insurance, consumers who are not eligible for subsidies but are shopping on the exchanges during this open enrollment period have selected plans that on average have a 16% higher premium than the average for plans selected last year, although the increase is only 2% higher than plans selected in the same period last year. Consumers are also choosing plans with lower deductibles.
In the latest evidence that having health insurance does not automatically mean people get more preventive services, much less have better health outcomes, a study in NEJM finds that young adults up to age 26 had significant but relatively minor increases in use of only 2 out of 5 common preventive services, and the study did not have as a variable whether they actually were enrolled in insurance.
A study of the VHA's patient portal finds that while 17% of veterans had finalized registration in the portal, a very small percent actually use any of the functionality, other than about 10% using it for getting prescriptions.
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. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.
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. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.
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