effectiveness

Devices & Diagnostics

Cigna chief medical officer says ‘gap of hopefulness’ separates FDA approval & reimbursement

Cost effectiveness and outcomes drive value for payers, Cigna‘s Chief Medical Officer Alan Muney said. While some medical device companies assume an FDA approval will mean a definite reimbursement nod from payers, these two forces drive a sometimes wrongheaded “gap of hopefulness” for the industry. (See his discussion of why device companies need to think […]

Devices & Diagnostics

Cardiocom acquisition shows Medtronic is serious about expanding from devices to data

When Medtronic announced its acquisition of Cardiocom  earlier this week,  it was a big (and loud) move in shaping the company’s “now we’re a healthcare service provider”  strategy. But Cardiocom  only makes $40 to $50 million in revenue, relatively small potatoes for a titan like Medtronic. What does this announcement mean, really, then?  “The importance […]

Devices & Diagnostics

Optum’s effectiveness mash-up: Combining United’s 40M claims + 7M hospital records to test devices

SharedClarity has created an alliance of long-time healthcare frenemies (payers and providers) to test effectiveness of heart and orthopedic medical devices with the aim of lowering costs, reducing readmissions, allowing members to negotiate device pricing and getting patients effective implantable devices. For the study, United Healthcare will join forces with Baylor Healthcare System in Dallas, Dignity Health in […]