Veronica is an independent journalist and communications strategist. For more than 10 years, she has covered health and healthcare with a focus on innovation and patient engagement. Most recently she managed strategic partnerships and communications for AIR Louisville, a digital health project focused on asthma. The team recruited 7 employer partners, enrolled 1,100 participants and collected more than 250,000 data points about rescue inhaler use. Veronica has worked for startups for almost 20 years doing everything from launching blogs, newsletters and patient communities to recruiting speakers, moderating panel conversations and developing new products. You can reach her on Twitter @vmcombs.
If you are unclear on how cities, employers, social service organizations, and healthcare systems need to address the social determinants of health, consider how LeBron James and the Akron Public Schools have organized the new I Promise school that opened recently.
We asked individuals to contribute their memories and wishes. Many people responded.
The future looks bright for the integrated specialty pharmacy model – for health systems, providers, and most importantly, for patients.
Don’t smoke. I did. Wish I never had. LLAP — Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) January 11, 2015 Leonard Nimoy died today from COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. Most people look puzzled when you mention that condition. My dad died of complications from that illness and pulmonary fibrosis, which is a disease that is even worse […]
The list of 2015 Oscar nominees has already been criticized a lot. Too white, too male and no nominations for the Lego Movie or Selma. They also ignored “Cake” that stars Jennifer Aniston. She is a woman who lives in chronic pain. Apparently she is also a jerk, as she gets kicked out of a […]
As the editor of MedCity News, I have given away a lot of business cards over the last 3 years. I have met entrepreneurs all over the country, learned about financing options from investors and talked with doctors about new ways of working with patients. I’ve listened to dozens of pitches and moderated panels about […]
My first feeling after entering a hospital is anxiety. If I am not worried about my own procedure or a family member’s test, I am thinking about all the germs in hospitals. I’ve never had a panic attack, but if I did, it would be in a hospital. Worrying about myself is bad enough but […]
Closing cancer health equity gaps require medical breakthroughs made possible by new funding approaches.
No one likes to hear, “You’re doing it wrong.” This kind of criticism is even more difficult to deliver if the work in question involves life and death decisions. Peer review among doctors falls into that category – vital but difficult. David F. Jadwin, DO, has built a system to make this kind of feedback […]
When I first heard that Bullseye Dropper won the Innov8 for Health Start Up Showcase late last year, I thought, “Hmmm, interesting, but I’ll pass.” Then last month, my 5-year-old son got pink eye and needed eye drops. As I tried to stop his wiggling long enough to get a dose of the antibiotics into […]
Download MedCity’s Startup Index for November I hate it when people call ideas or businesses “sexy.” People are sexy, ideas and inanimate objects are not. When I hear a person use that term to describe a startup company, I think, “Shallow. Short attention span. Not interested in solving real problems.” A weak idea delivered via […]
Everyone in the healthcare world is trying to figure out how to manage risk – whether that is something basic – like switching to online appointment scheduling – or something major – like moving a health system’s providers to value-based contracts. I spoke with Valence Health President Todd Stockard recently to understand what it takes […]
The progress in artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping patient care, across various dimensions, from facilitating faster discharge to curating treatment plans and suggesting lifestyle changes.
You can’t call an 18-year-old company a startup, so Valence Health doesn’t fit into that category. However, news from the Chicago company this year has been as exciting and impressive as developments from any new HIT company working to change the system. The company just raised a nice round of funding – $15 million and […]
2014 has been a banner year for Natalie Hodges and Brandi Harless of Personal Medicine Plus. The duo graduated from Xlerate Health, gave 45 59-second pitches at Cleveland Clinic’s Innovation conference, recruited 30 doctors for their Physician Pioneer program, joined Startup Health and presented at the mHealth Summit 2014. They will be making a trip […]
An ER doctor wanted help documenting patient care, so she started a scribe business. Kathleen Myers, MD started Scribes Stat in 2011. In 2012, customers started asking for help in converting to electronic medical records and that created a new clinical informatics business to support that health IT work. Earlier this year, the two companies […]
As I mentioned last week, my family lost several people this year. As I result, I have done a lot of house cleaning – purging, throwing away, donating, and reorganizing. This has really changed my perspective on gift giving, as we move into the frenzy of the holidays. I have always been a fan of […]
A few lucky shoppers in Tennessee, Texas, Indiana and Ohio could pick up the best deals in health insurance today, instead of fighting the mobs for big screen TVs and Frozen dolls. Bernard Health has store fronts in five cities in four states. Founder Alex Tolbert wants to help people figure out what insurance plan […]