A study in Medical Care finds that for small community medical practices, providing incentives for improvement on certain quality measures, coupled with technical assistance, did lead to significant increases in performance on those measures, but also led to lower performance on other, unincented, quality measures. This demonstrates the oft-feared unintended consequence of pay-for-performance, it diverts attention from overall care quality.
Here is an example of a stupid regulation solely designed to protect the interests of existing providers. Georgia's proposed telemedicine rule requires a face-to-face consultation before use of telemedicine and you have to have a Georgia license. Telemedicine could significantly reduce spending by decreasing unit costs, but not if it has to cope with this kind of lunacy.
Medtronic is not only seeking to lower its taxes by acquisition activity, but is also continuing to move into services, most recently by acquiring NGC Medical, which operates cath labs in Italy and hopes to expand to other European countries. The purchase price was $350 million.
Airstrip, which makes clinical data available on cell phones and other mobile devices, has raised another $25 million, ostensibly to support a move into home health. The company must be burning cash at a pretty good rate and likely has modest revenue at best.
Its not just in the US that people are looking for more convenient and cheaper ways to access clinicians. China's Chunyu has raised $50 million to support its service of connecting patients to doctors through phone or internet communications.
Comprehend Systems, a vendor of software allowing drug and device developers to track their clinical development programs, has raised an additional $21 million in funding.
Okay, what is the world coming to? First a smart toothbrush that tracks our dental hygiene, now a smart cup that checks our beverage consumption? Mark One, which makes the Vessyl, has raised $3 million for its product, with the investors clearly needing something that tracks what they are smoking, eating or drinking. What's next, a toilet that measures our excretory capabilities?
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.