A study from Spain in Health Service Research finds that stratifying patients with multimorbidities using a common risk scoring tool, and applying a comprehensive care intervention to the higher risk patients, reduced hospitalizations, but does not give any information on whether the intervention was cost effective, which I doubt since only 9% of hospitalizations were avoided and these interventions are quite expensive.
Two EMR and practice management companies are joining forces, maybe so they can sink together, as DocuTAP and Practice Velocity merge their businesses. EMR companies face a new round of consolidation as the land grab is over, doctors are fed up with lousy systems and high prices, and value is non-existent.
Verily, verily, I say unto you that HealthVerity truthfully (hopefully) raises $25 million in new capital to support its patient information and identity management products. Seriously, it is amazing how much money has to be spend in health care just to identify that a patient is the same patient in multiple information systems.
Medical Informatics, my kind of nice generic name for a company, has raised $11.9 million in additional capital to support its business of using predictive analytics to manage the care of patients in critical care units.
HealthAxis, which offers plans and providers benefit administration software, is acquiring Analytics Partners, which provides various health analytics solutions.
Willis Towers (over) Watson, the large brokerage and consulting firm, is acquiring Tranzact for $1.2 billion, adding the "digital" brokerage and agency to its capabilities.
Biolinq (I don't know, not sure that cutesy "q" at the end gets you that hard "k" sound you were looking for) has raised $4.75 million in initial financing for it wearable device that provides various biometrics.
Change Healthcare, cobbled together with multiple acquisitions of HIT companies and majority-owned by McKesson, and with the most grandiose name in the industry, is planning a massive IPO.
Cleo pats investors down for a hefty $27.5 million to support a business of helping employees return to work after a childbirth leave and other events.
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.