Research in JAMA reports on a trial using tele care management for musculoskeletal pain, finding that automated symptom monitoring and a stepped-care approach to pain meds outperformed usual care.
A survey by The Associated Press confirms that most Americans have little faith in their ability to select doctors based on quality, with only 22% saying they are confident they can find and use quality information to compare physicians. Sixty percent rely on friends and family. Only 4% think they get poor quality care, contrary to what research suggests. Most judge doctors on characteristics like friendliness and listening. And having insurance coverage for a particular doctor is very important.
LifeNexus, which offers a method for patients to maintain and access health records, has received a multi-million dollar investment from Camden Partners.
Health Insurance Innovations, a company offering health plan administration services, has purchased HealthPocket, which provides health plan and health services purchasing data for consumers. The purchase price was about $31 million.
According to a study in the Annals of Family Medicine, greater use of text and telephone communication with diabetes patients was associated with an increase in in-person office visits, contrary to hopes that these cheaper forms of clinical interaction would reduce office visits and save on costs.
http://annfammed.org/content/12/4/338.full
Jul222014
Alliance Healthcare Partners has invested $3.5 million in Prodigo, taking control of the hospital contracting and supply-chain consulting firm.
Jul222014
HealthEquity, which administers health savings accounts, has set terms for its IPO, raising $100 million.
Jul222014
Walgreens reports that visits to its in-store clinics continue to grow rapidly, with many patients returning to seek services in that setting.
Research published in Health Affairs, based on data from Denmark, finds that hospital occupancy rates above 85% are associated with worsening mortality, as is being admitted outside of normal business hours or on weekends. It is not clear, however, that there is a causative effect. It would seem more likely that there would be one in the case of admissions outside normal hours, but high occupancy rates seem less likely to be causative of greater mortality.
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.