Morning Read: The Oregon governor’s $2 billion Medicaid experiment

Current medical news from today including a $2 billion Medicaid experiment in Oregon, Rock Health's new Boston class, and big data in healthcare.

Oregon’s Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber has gained federal support to the tune of $2 billion for his Medicaid experiment to cut down on healthcare costs. Under his plan, cities will have their own umbrella groups – called coordinated care organizations – that include hospitals, doctors and mental health providers, which will care for that city’s Medicaid population, lessening competition and improving communication between providers. Outreach workers will also help the sickest people navigate the system. Kitzhaber says his plan could save the federal government $11 billion in a decade.

Six digital health startups will incubate under Rock Health’s watch this summer at Harvard Medical School in Boston. They are: HomeTeam Therapy, which merges gaming and physical therapy; Prescribable Apps, an app for users to track chronic illness longitudinally; NeuroTrack Technologies, a suite of behavioral assessment tools to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease three to four year before clinical diagnosis; Neumitra, technology to measure and manage stress; NoviMedicine, a platform for dermatologists to diagnose skin conditions remotely; and ZeroSum Health, a platform to help medical experts to create sophisticated mobile health interventions.

What are suitable data sources for big data analysis in healthcare? An Atlantic article points out that the most useful day might be patient-reported data, which can reveal correlations among genetic, economic and environmental factors and disease.

At least in the case of diabetes, electronic medical records don’t necessarily translate into better care. A three-year study of physician practices found that, although diabetes management as a whole improved, offices that had implemented EMRs delivered lower-quality diabetes care than those that hadn’t.

How is Genentech faring under the Roche umbrella?

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