...January? Locating the problem ….is beyond our scope, but the International Business Times‘ tally of the spend on the companies contracted to make the plans, the websites and the back end programming puts some company names to the fail: Booz Allen Hamilton, CGI Federal, Mitre Corporation, Quality Software Service Inc. (QSSI), Experian and others. Companies Behind Obamacare Health Exchange’s Construction And Its Technical Failures As young (by his picture) Steven Spencer @steveCodes Tweeted: #obamacare #website #healthcare.gov still not loading. over a week now. My sites never go down more than an hour. Hire a hacker, noobs. A bad case of... Continue Reading
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Data insecurity in Obamacare insurance exchanges (US)
...coverage and a survey speak for themselves on the possibility of the insurance exchanges opening a new wave of breaches; our readers–particularly those in the US–can decide if she is Cassandra or Chicken Little: “Minnesota insurance broker Jim Koester was looking for information about assisting with Obamacare implementation; instead, what landed in his inbox last month was a document filled with the names, Social Security numbers and other pieces of personal information belonging to his fellow Minnesotans. In one of the first breaches of the new Obamacare online marketplaces, an employee of the Minnesota marketplace, called MNsure, accidentally emailed Koester... Continue Reading
Telehealth Soapbox: Medical device tax finally under fire; implications many (US)
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/gizmodo-the-top-10-rube-goldberg-machines-featured-on-film-rube-goldberg.jpg” thumb_width=”180″ /]A key part of the Rube Goldberg (or Heath Robinson)-esque funding of the Accountable Care Act (ACA, a/k/a Obamacare) is a punitive medical device tax of 2.3 percent levied on gross sales (not profits) of hip, knee, cardiac implants, many dental materials, diagnostics such as scanners, radiotherapy machines, catheters and more. Since it went into effect on 1 January, it has raised $1 billion according to the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance, the Advanced Medical Technology Association and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association in July–for a program that does not start till 2014. According to The Hill,... Continue Reading
‘To Read’ lists for the holiday weekend
...and information exchange between residents in communities and family) and SingFit (music). 6 Companies Cashing in on Obamacare. Like most CNN Money headlines, it’s a writer’s stretch as none of them are cashing in quite yet–most are just past startup or early-stage and are still finding their hospital readmission, insurer, physician, individual insured and health exchange markets: GoHealth, Health Recovery Solutions, Eligible, QuantiaMD, Connecture and hCentive. Since costs will be going up on average 32 percent by 2017 for insurers in the individual market, according to the Society of Actuaries–only 6 percent today but expected to balloon as smaller companies... Continue Reading
FDA regulating medical apps–or not? The Hearings. (US)
Much coverage of this past Tuesday-Thursday’s US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearings on how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be regulating developing mobile health technologies. Some key issues are if the 2.3 percent Obamacare medical device tax will apply to apps (after chilling development on surgical devices–see day 1 hearings), whether FDA will ever get around to publishing a final guidance (end of year), will FDA consider smartphones medical devices (no) and if FDA should share some of the responsibility with–or give it over entirely to–the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information (ONC)... Continue Reading
Is consumer engagement gaining traction with insurers? (US)
...along the route. Cigna has bundled four apps for nutrition, exercise, and mind and body relaxation free to the first 20,000 downloaders. For instance, the most popular, Fooducate, helps users grade the nutrition in their groceries and offers more healthy alternatives. The sudden interest in consumer engagement, after languishing for the past year or so, is due to the imminency of the ACA (Accountable Care Act a/k/a ‘ObamaCare’). Prevention increasingly equals savings and is easier to achieve with apps being further along the curve than even last year. Apps latest bid by health insurers to manage wellness (American Medical News)... Continue Reading
Telecare Soapbox: Who can purchasers trust? (UK)
...well become very influential as they will hold data/expertise for commissioning across a region (ie a number of CCGs). Additionally, those interested may want to explore: Value Based Pricing - there was a lot of coverage at the recent Healthcare Expo, and, Accountable Care Organisations (part of Obamacare, http://bit.ly/RaxLv7) - some commentators think that the UK could have similar ACO type arrangements in time. For those interested in 'Any Qualified Provider' - the list of 39 services that DH (England) have identified so far are listed at http://bit.ly/Ray4WO and covered further at http://bit.ly/Rayc8C Kevin Doughty Really interesting discussion - and... Continue Reading
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