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5 must-read stories this week: NantHealth files for IPO, what are the health tech trends shaping ePRO?

Every week, we compile the most popular and thoughtful stories on MedCity News. Among this week's highlights, the technology innovations behind the growing electronic patient-reported outcomes market, NantHealth register for a $92 million IPO.

IPO initial public offeringEvery week, we compile the most popular and thoughtful stories on MedCity News. Among this week’s highlights, the technology innovations behind the growing electronic patient reported outcomes market, NantHealth register for a $92 million IPO after putting it off last fall. Also, John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight, has some stern words for the pseudoscientific studies we hear so much about.

1. These 7 technology trends will revolutionize electronic patient-reported outcomes assessments

On average about a third of the eCOA solution cost is for supplying provisioned devices (mobile phones with eCOA software preinstalled) to patients participating in a trial, therefore using a BYOD strategy could reduce costs significantly.

2. NantHealth files for IPO; here are 7 things we learned

The government of Kuwait owns at least 10 percent of NantHealth, via two holding companies. The Kuwait Investment Authority had put $250 million into NantHealth in 2014.

3. John Oliver trashes bad science and worse media coverage of it

 “In science, you don’t just get to cherry-pick the parts that justify what you were going to do anyway. That’s religion. You’re thinking of religion.”

4. Simplee raises $20M to ramp up self-directed patient payment services for hospitals

Competitors in this burgeoning healthcare fintech space include Change Healthcare, which rebranded the fourth quarter of 2015 from Emdeon, RelayHealth, InstaMed, and WellnessFX.

5. Walgreens hopes to screen 3 million on mental health by next year

While Walgreens already works with MDLive to provide telehealth services to customers, the pharmacy company has begun offering one-click access to a behavioral telehealth platform from MDLive subsidiary Breakthrough. Breakthrough has a network of more than 1,000 behavioral health professionals.

Photo: Flickr user Simon Cunningham