Medical Devices, MedCitizens

Why stomach balloons are the future of healthcare

By Shantanu Gaur, MD

These balloons help people eat less and feel full faster and most importantly, do not involve going under the knife. The birth of the stomach balloon industry is no accident, and it is emblematic of trends that are taking hold of healthcare systems around the world.

Health IT, Politics

You need a (interactive) map to understand the disparity of healthcare data sharing in the U.S.

By Andrew Zaleski

A George Washington University health policy project uses an interactive map shows the time period within which each of the 50 states requires a medical record to be provided to a patient once requested.

MedCitizens, Pharma

Track and trace is on the way. Is your drug supply chain ready?

By Dan Walles

Starting this November, all pharmaceutical companies selling prescription drug products in the U.S. will be required to serialize each individual, saleable drug unit. Here’s how to get your supply chain ready.

Health IT

Connected health and safety business for seniors, GreatCall, finds exit door in private equity deal

By Stephanie Baum

GreatCall’s personal emergency response services was one factor in GTCR’s acquisition of the business.

Health IT, Convergence, Payers

Survey: 43 percent of physicians say they have the needed tools to succeed under value-based care

By Erin Dietsche

What does the future of value-based care look like, and how does technology tie in? A new survey from Quest Diagnostics and Inovalon takes a closer look.

Health IT, Startups

Startup Vericred wants to do something about those surprise medical bills

By Erin Dietsche

Vericred, a healthcare data services startup based in New York City, is now offering a provider-network notification service.

Kaiser, Politics

Nevada revives bill that would track pharma companies’ insulin profits

By Emily Kopp, Kaiser Health News

Although drug price legislation has stalled in some states, some advocates say there’s plenty of grass-roots support for this legislation on insulin prices but that advocacy organizations are not listening to the right people.

SYN

Everybody Else Is Reading This

By MedCity News

Why Is Tiffany Trump Going To Law School? Above The Law

Twitter Users Blocked By Trump Seek Reprieve, Citing First Amendment How Appealing

Who Is The Legend Of Spoofing? Dealbreaker

Sunrun’s IPO Burned Investors According To The Wall Street Journal Breaking Energy

Medical Devices

Eko gets FDA clearance for digital stethoscope with ECG

By Stephanie Baum

The device can be used in a doctor’s office and could be prescribed to heart disease patients to support remote monitoring and reduce readmissions.

Medical Devices, Diagnostics

Joint injury diagnostics business Trice Medical raises $19.3M following FDA device clearance

By Stephanie Baum

Trice developed a needle equipped with a camera to give orthopedic physicians a better assessment of sports-related joint injuries and offer an alternative to MRIs.

MedCitizens, Politics

Make no mistake: Cuts to healthcare won’t be superficial

By Jonathan Hirsch

It’s not just new research that will suffer if proposed healthcare budget cuts are approved, writes Syapse Founder and President Jonathan Hirsch. The basic foundations of healthcare, including public health databases, are also on the line.

Biotech

ASCO 2017 ushers in “a new chapter” for prostate cancer

By Juliet Preston

In an interview at ASCO 2017, head of the Prostate Cancer Foundation Jonathan Simons was heralding one of the biggest strides the field has seen in treating the most advanced form of the disease.

Health IT, Pharma

Two digital health startups mark milestones to simplify medication orders

By Stephanie Baum

ZappRx inked a deal with Tufts Medical Center and Digital Pharmacist raised $6.5 million in a Series B round.

Telemedicine

Plaintiff voluntarily dismisses patient privacy suit against MDLive (updated)

By Erin Dietsche

In April, telehealth company MDLive was hit with a class-action lawsuit over patient privacy issues. But now plaintiff Joan Richards has voluntarily dismissed the suit.

Pharma

The cost of a cure: Patent rights and drug prices

By Gaston Kroub, Above The Law

Gilead’s cure for Hepatitis C presents a prime example of the complicated nature of the drug pricing debate, and how patent rights can help determine pricing.