Lifespan tries to keep Partners out of RI. I ’m quoted in the Boston Globe
Big bad Partners HealthCare plans to take over Rhode Island’s number two player, Care New England. Lifespan, the market leader is trying to keep Partners out by appealing to Rhode Islanders’ resentment of out-of-state players and claiming to have the public interest at heart.
“This is not about Lifespan,” [Lifespan’s CEO Dr. Timothy] Babineau said in an interview. “This is about the future of health care in Rhode Island.”
Actually, Lifespan seems to want to go from being the big fish in a small pond to the only fish, by merging with Care New England and Brown, in a so-called “unified” health system, which...
Source: Health Business Blog - April 25, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Announcements Hospitals Policy and politics Source Type: blogs
You ’ ve come a long way baby! And thanks to Ovia, your mom ’ s employer knows all about it
There’s an app for that
The Denver Post (Tracking your pregnancy on an app may be more public than you think) has published an interesting and disturbing article about the rise of Ovia, an app that collects detailed and personal data from pregnant women and those hoping to conceive. I’m not surprised that the business model is to provide data to employers about their workforce in order to save on medical costs and reduce time away from work. But I am a little surprised at how much data employees are willing to enter on topics like their sex life, color of cervical fluid, miscarriages and so on, while the app al...
Source: Health Business Blog - April 25, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: e-health Economics Source Type: blogs
LinkedIn scam a.k.a. Revenge of the self-employed research associate
In late 2015 I received a lot of spam LinkedIn invitations, many from people who listed their positions as “Research Associate at Self-Employed.” It’s a weird title for a self-employed person. As I wrote at the time (How many self-employed research associates does it take to change a light bulb?) I think it was some kind of phishing attempt. In particular, the aim seemed to be to build an impressive network and gain access to contact info and credentials. Maybe it was related to the 2016 election. The profiles were pretty bare and obviously not of real people, if you bothered to look. But I noticed that...
Source: Health Business Blog - April 23, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Amusements LinkedIn scam Source Type: blogs
You ’ve come a long way baby! And thanks to Ovia, your mom’s employer knows all about it
The Denver Post (Tracking your pregnancy on an app may be more public than you think) has published an interesting and disturbing article about the rise of Ovia, an app that collects detailed and personal data from pregnant women and those hoping to conceive. I’m not surprised that the business model is to provide data to employers about their workforce in order to save on medical costs and reduce time away from work. But I am a little surprised at how much data employees are willing to enter on topics like their sex life, color of cervical fluid, miscarriages and so on, while the app also track things like what medical ...
Source: Health Business Blog - April 19, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: e-health ovia Source Type: blogs
You ’ve come a long way baby! And thanks to this app, your mom’s employer knows all about it
The Denver Post (Tracking your pregnancy on an app may be more public than you think) has published an interesting and disturbing article about the rise of Ovia, an app that collects detailed and personal data from pregnant women and those hoping to conceive. I’m not surprised that the business model is to provide data to employers about their workforce in order to save on medical costs and reduce time away from work. But I am a little surprised at how much data employees are willing to enter on topics like their sex life, color of cervical fluid, miscarriages and so on, while the app also track things like what medical ...
Source: Health Business Blog - April 19, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: e-health Source Type: blogs
#CareTalk March 2019: Gottlieb ’ s out. What ’ s next for FDA?
The latest edition of #CareTalk is out. CareCentrix CEO, John Driscoll and I explore the departure of FDA Director Scott Gottlieb and other pressing topics.
Here’s what we covered:
(0:28) Scott Gottlieb is out at FDA. Are you sad to see him go?
(2:00) Home health spending is projected to grow faster than any other category of healthcare over the coming years. Is that good or bad?
(4:00) Insulin prices are spiking and both Democrats and Republicans are up in arms. What’s happening?
(5:53) Lyft is talking about the social determinants of health. What?!
(8:47) What do you think about FDA approving ketamine nasal spr...
Source: Health Business Blog - March 21, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Blogs Podcast Policy and politics carecentrix FDA home care insulin Lyft Source Type: blogs
Interoperability in healthcare 2019: Podcast interview with Rhapsody
https://website.guild.im/williams/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/03/Rhapsody-podcast-3_17_19-8.42-PM-online-audio-converter.com_.mp3
Interoperability has a been a buzzword in healthcare for about a decade, but sometimes it doesn’t seem like we’ve gotten that far. In this podcast, Rhapsody’s EVP of Product & Strategy, Drew Ivan and I discuss interoperability: its past, present and future.
Here’s what we covered:
0:20 What is interoperability anyway?
2:50 Why do we hear about interoperability so much in healthcare? Is it an issues in other industries?
5:11 How does interoperability in the US c...
Source: Health Business Blog - March 19, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Hospitals Podcast Technology interoperability Source Type: blogs
Happy 14th birthday to the Health Business Blog
Happy 14th!
My main job is president of Health Business Group, a boutique healthcare strategy consulting firm I founded in 2003. As a sideline, I write the Health Business Blog, where I provide a behind the scenes look at the business of healthcare, featuring my spin on healthcare topics in the news, interviews with entrepreneurs, and policy prescriptions.
The blog is turning 14 years old this month! Continuing a tradition I established with birthdays one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen I have picked out a favorite post from each month. ...
Source: Health Business Blog - March 12, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Announcements Blogs Source Type: blogs
#CareTalk February 2019: Medicare for All?
The latest edition of #CareTalk is out. CareCentrix CEO, John Driscoll and I explore Medicare for All and other big topics.
Here’s what we covered:
(0:35) Is “Medicare for All” quickly becoming a litmus test for Democratic presidential candidates?
(2:45) What should be made of the recent moves of home health agencies around primary care?
(5:00) Are pharma rebates to blame for increased drug pricing?
(8:00) President Trump promised a whopping $50 million a year for childhood cancer. What would you do with all that money?
(8:32) Will adding the full list price of drugs in ads make a difference?
(9:03) Will Do...
Source: Health Business Blog - February 28, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Podcast Policy and politics #medicareforall Caretalk Source Type: blogs
Partners names interim CEO. I ’ m quoted in the Boston Globe
Partners HealthCare moved quickly to appoint Dr. Anne Klibanski as interim CEO after the resignation of Dr. David Torchiana. I was quoted in the Boston Globe story about it:
The Boston health care consultant David Williams said naming an interim CEO gives the board some time to conduct a thorough search for a permanent replacement.
“They have a history of taking a senior physician and making them CEO of Partners,’’ said Williams, the president of Health Business Group. “Now I think they’re not sure if they want to do that again or if they want to look more broadly for, say, a business person.”
Partners would b...
Source: Health Business Blog - February 26, 2019 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Hospitals Source Type: blogs
