Practice Fusion, developer of a free, web-based EHR system, has acquired consumer health app startup 100Plus for an undisclosed sum. 100Plus was co-founded by data analytics pro Chris Hogg and Practice Fusion CEO Ryan Howard in late 2011. Hogg told MobiHealthNews that Howard was not directly involved with the day-to-day running of 100Plus and served as more of a mentor to him. 100Plus was the...
Triple Tree Associate Joe Long
Minnesota investment banking firm Triple Tree has released a report about the rise of consumerism in the healthcare industry. The company says the industry is becoming less like a traditional healthcare system and more like a retail environment, with B2B2C, or business-to-business-to-consumer, business models becoming the dominant format.
"Viewed through the lens...
Later today I'll be presenting alongside Rich Roth, the Vice President of Strategic Innovation at Dignity Health, which changed its name from Catholic Healthcare West last year. Dignity provides care to patients at 40 hospitals and care centers across California, Nevada, and Arizona. It has also been one of the more pioneering healthcare systems when it comes to mobile health adoption. Rich and I...
United Health Centers of San Joaquin (UHC), a safety-net provider in California's San Joaquin Valley, is betting on social engagement for controlling and preventing chronic diseases, even among a low-income patient population.
The organization, which serves 46,000 patients a year, most of them uninsured or on Medicaid, at eight locations throughout the sprawling region, last week announced that...
MDconnectME, the Philadelphia-based maker of a mobile and Web app that lets surgical teams send quick updates to designated family members about surgery progress, has launched a pilot program with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Surgeons in the Department of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery will be using the MDconnectME system to update the families of people undergoing...
Convenience is one of the major value propositions offered by digital channels like text messaging and email for patient engagement. Often these channels are more readily usable for both patient and provider. It's not just about convenience, though. New survey data from health texting provider TeleVox says 34 percent of American adults are more honest about their medical needs through automatic...
A new company from Center for Connected Health (CCH) Director Dr. Joseph Kvedar will take a stab at the difficult task of engaging consumers in their own health by studying the missteps of others and attempting to simplify the processes of education and motivation.
Kvedar and business partners, including self-help author Carol Colman and integrative medicine practitioner – and former personal...
The recent Pew Internet Project study reported that only 9 percent of American adults use texting to get health updates, although 80 percent use text messaging. As app adoption stagnates, some start-ups, like California-based HealthCrowd, are hitching their wagon to mobile messaging, including text messaging, rather than apps, as the future of patient engagement.
“There are too many apps out...
Independence Blue Cross (IBC), a Pennsylvania insurance company announced the launch of a WebMD Digital Health Assistant to their member's portal Friday. The software will provide IBC members with an interactive wellness program, combining an online health risk assessment with a digital coach that will give daily tips, and also allow the user to set personal goals and track their progress in...
We've heard talk for years about patient engagement, but not a whole lot of real progress. Mobile technologies are about to change that, with a substantial boost from Stage 2 of the "meaningful use" EHR incentive program.
To meet Stage 2 requirements, starting in 2014 (or the second year after initially getting to Stage 1), providers must share patient records with affiliated hospitals and...
