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Companies

Uber

If I Describe Your Company as the “Uber of Healthcare”, Don’t Take It as a Compliment. 7 Reasons Why.

 

I am constantly surprised by the number of companies that intentionally describe themselves as the “Uber of Healthcare”. If you hear me describing your company that way, I don’t mean it as a compliment. What I do mean is some combination of:

Your ethics and values are dubious
Your swashbuckling disregard for regulatory boundaries is backfiring
You underestimated the competition
Your network effects are overstated
Your platform governance model is Medieval
Your business model is unproven
Your valuation is inflated

Let’s take a more detailed look at each […]

Aetna, Cigna, Wellpoint Recreating Their Business Models

Major U.S. health insurers, including Aetna Inc., Humana Inc. and WellPoint Inc., are retooling to become more than just health plans, in the wake of the federal health-care overhaul that is changing the rules for the industry’s core business.

Diversification plans, touted in meetings with investors this year, include stepped up acquisitions and partnerships that will allow the companies to employ doctors directly, deliver health-information technologies, and participate in new hospital-doctor groups known as accountable-care […]

Lesson for Healthcare: Disrupt Your Own Business Model Before Someone Does it TO YOU

Healthcare needs positive role models for innovation…and we have a real-time mentor in Netflix.

If you have a Netflix subscription, you probably identify with the company as providing a convenient DVD rental service — order on the web, the DVD arrives by mail, send it back in the handy pre-paid envelope when you’re done.

Today’s ReadWriteWeb describes Netflix’ latest letter to shareholders and explains how the company is preparing for the demise of DVDs:

We’re Building a REALLY BIG Health Internet!

How big a network will the Health Internet (aka National Health Information Network) be?

My BOTE (back-of-the-envelope) calculation is that this network could consist of about 301 million nodes.  Here’s my math (pls. clarify or amplify):

300 million individuals in U.S.
700 K doctors
5 K hospitals
295 K — other B2B healthcare entities

Very rough…but I hope you get the point.

So let’s put into perspective press releases from Google or Microsoft announcing that they have developed new “partnerships” (i.e.nodes in the network) for Google Health or Microsoft HealthVault. As an example, […]

Medicare Health Support (MHS) Claims Another Victim: LifeMasters Files for Chapter 11

Updated 6:10 pm, September 14, 2009

One bad deal can ruin your day.

Today, LifeMasters filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  According to its press release:

“The Chapter 11 filing is the most efficient path for the company to restructure liabilities that are a result of Demonstration Projects previously performed under contracts with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), ” said George D. Pillari, President of LifeMasters. Mr. Pillari, named President of LifeMasters today, is a Managing Director of Alvarez & Marsal […]

Microsoft HealthVault is a Serious Business Strategy. Will Google Health Become More than a Hobby?

Google Health…please stick around….but please also get your stuff together.

Over the past few days, several of my respected colleagues have written excellent blog posts essentially asking “Does Google Health have life?”

Scott Shreeve — CLEAR! Shocking Google Health Back to Life
John Moore — Is Google Health Irrelevant?
Will Crawford — Future of Google Health

I share their observations and sentiments.  I see Microsoft HealthVault as a serious business strategy while Google Health is more like a hobby (one of probably hundreds at Google).

Are there reasons […]

Adieu, LifeCOMM

“Qualcomm pulls the plug on LifeComm”  announced Brian Dolan of mobihealthnews recently. 

As demonstrated by e-CareManagement blog readership, there has been a lot of interest in LifeCOMM.  My first blog post on LifeCOMM in 2007 has been single the most commented on post and the second most widely read blog post.

It’s taken me a while to sift through my thoughts and feelings about saying “Goodbye” to LifeCOMM. At first I was deeply disappointed, but after further reflection think that LifeCOMM wasn’t the right […]

Cerner Disses Google Health. Surprised?

Vince Kuraitis and David C. Kibbe, MD, MBA

We’re not.

From the Kansas City Business Journal :

Google Inc. has approached Cerner Corp. about a partnership, but Cerner officials don’t sound eager to entangle themselves with the Web-search Goliath.

That’s because […]

Healthways Fights an Uphill Battle on Medicare Health Support Phase II

Earlier this week Healthways issued a press release describing their progress in pursuing a Phase II Medicare Health Support (MHS) project.   Read Dr. Jaan Sidorov’s blog commentary for additional background.

In brief, Healthways position is that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is statutorily required to expand into Phase II of MHS if Phase I is “successful”. While I’m very sympathetic with Healthways predicament and their frustration with CMS, I’m not optimistic that their tactics are likely to work.

In making the case, Healthways […]

Next Generation Disease Management, ala Google

   

Google Wants to Index Your DNA, Too Business Week; April 18, 2008

A few years ago I remember reading a vivid description of how much information is contained in one person’s genetic code:  a stack of phone books high enough to reach the top of the Washington Monument.

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