Health IT, Diagnostics

The year health tech was in the Grim Reaper’s grip

While we are in a reflective, somber mood in late December, let’s take a look at all the deaths — and a few near-death experiences — in health tech in 2016.

By Neil Versel on December 28, 2016

Air Force Major Killed During Iraq War Buried At Arlington National Cemetery

As we say good riddance to 2016, the year will likely be remembered for the sheer numbers of top-tier celebrities who died this year.

David Bowie, Prince, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher, Florence Henderson, Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Nancy Reagan, Patty Duke, Garry Marshall, Doris Roberts, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, Arnold Palmer and John Glenn left us in 2016. And those are just the A-listers.

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So while we are in a reflective, somber mood in late December, let’s take a look at all the deaths — and a few near-death experiences — in health tech in 2016.

First, though, let’s talk about the heartbreaking death of an actual human in this field.

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Jess Jacobs

The health IT, healthcare innovation and patient empowerment communities were shocked and saddened by the loss of Jess Jacobs on Aug. 13 at the tragically young age of 29. To hear how Jacobs impacted those around her, check out these video tributes that debuted at the MedCity ENGAGE conference in October.

In the world of health tech, the Grim Reaper was out in full force.

  • The Scanadu Scout. Formerly hot “tricorder” startup Scanadu announced this month that it would effectively brick the devices next May. Customers were most displeased.
  • The Jawbone Up. Jawbone stopped production of the fitness trackers and liquidated its inventory in May.
  • HealthSpot technically ceased operations at the end of 2015, but the telemedicine company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January. Rite Aid scored HealthSpot’s assets for a mere $1.15 million in a liquidation auction.
  • Sotera Wireless, another onetime darling of health tech boosters, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. Its ViSi Mobile system has been plagued with technical problems.
  • Pebble, a failure in the smartwatch business, decided to sell some of its assets to Fitbit and wind down the rest of its operations.
  • The Institute of Medicine name was dropped in March. It’s now the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies.
  • Zocdoc’s original logo and a capital “D” are gone. The physician finder service and Zocdoc logo and word mark (PRNewsFoto/Zocdoc)care management company shelved the logo it paid $80 for in 2007, replacing with a facelike mascot called Zee. The company also changed its name from “ZocDoc” because who has time to press the shift key twice when typing six letters?
  • The mHealth Summit changed its name to the Connected Health Conference this year as the “mHealth” term fell out of favor, at least in the U.S.
  • The newly renamed Connected Health Conference, or perhaps the Connected Health Symposium, is done. Now that both are under the HIMSS umbrella, organizers of the first Connected Health Conference in Maryland this month said they would combine the two events and hold a single conference/symposium in Boston. The Connected Health Symposium originated at Partners HealthCare in Boston.
  • Mark Cuban’s dizziness, apparently treated by virtual reality. The billionaire “Shark Tank” co-star then decided to patent the technology.
  • A cringeworthy video of a cringeworthy song from the newly renamed Siemens Healthineers disappeared from YouTube following much derision of the Siemens Healthcare rebranding. (Author’s note: Guilty as charged.) The Healthineers name remains.
  • The Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate, which goes down in flames at the end of 2016, replaced by the new Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) regulations and related Quality Payment Program.
  • Dell Services, including the healthcare consulting business, which Dell sold to Japan’s NTT Data for $3.05 billion. That officially made Michael Dell’s keynote at HIMSS16 absolutely pointless.
  • The Walgreens-Theranos partnership. Not only did Walgreens terminate its deal with the embattled Theranos in June, the pharmacy chain is suing for $140 million.
  • Theranos’ CLIA certification, which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pulled at the same time it barred Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes from owning, operating or directing a clinical lab for two years.
  • Holmes’ $4.5 billion personal fortune. Forbes revised her net worth down to zero.

Some did escape death, however.

  • Theranos, remarkably, remains in business. Holmes said in October that the company would focus on its new miniLab lab-in-a-box product, the one she unveiled in July rather than presenting peer-reviewed data on the unproven Edison testing system.
  • Zenefits cut its valuation by more than half in the wake of several state investigations into charges that the company enlisted unlicensed agents to sell insurance.
  • Obamacare health insurance exchanges, despite the fact so many payers, including UnitedHealthcare, decided to exit the individual-coverage marketplace in so many states.

Will they survive 2017? Even the Reaper needs a vacation every once in a while, right?

Photos: Mark Wilson/Getty Images, Twitter user Jess Jacobs, PRNewsFoto/Zocdoc

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