Research published in JAMA Surgery finds that most outcome quality measures used to differentiate hospital performance, such as risk-adjusted mortality, are not very reliable or accurate.
A survey from FICO suggests that consumers are not using their mobile phones much in connection with managing their health insurance, despite health plans creation and promotion of apps.
Medical Cost Management Solutions, a provider of population health services, primarily to collectively bargained plans, has acquired Med-care Management, a Florida care management company.
If you are wondering about the sanity of the market, wonder no more. Castlight came public at $16 a share and popped to over $40 a share. This for a company with $13 million in revenue and tens of millions of dollars in accumulated losses. And in a market with no barriers to entry and no proprietary value. Transparency and decision support will be, no, are, delivered free by a number of organizations. What are supposedly smart investors thinking? I suspect we will see a number of acquisitions made by Castlight to prop up a very bad business model. And we will see every other "transparency" or similar health care company try to go public.
A study in JAMA is the latest to recognize the health burdens that caregiving by family or friends may place on the caregiver and to suggest things that can be done to alleviate those burdens.
An analysis in JAMA finds that most discontinued trials are not published, often because they were likely showing negative interim results. The analysis also shows that patient recruitment is a major issue.
Nextimage, which provides radiology management services primarily for workers' compensation, has acquired WorkWell, which offers services related to prevention of soft-tissue and musculoskeletal injuries.
Here is an extreme warning of the danger of defective HIT products; Cerner has apparently paid over $100 million in an arbitration award stemming from a dispute with a North Dakota hospital using Cerner's software.
In the very odd category, research in JAMA suggests that having a casino open or expand is correlated with a decrease in rates of childhood obesity among Native Americans. No explanation provided.
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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