News 12/6/17

Top News

UnitedHealth will acquire DaVita Medical Group in a deal worth $4.9 billion. The payer will add 300 clinics in six states to its 250 MedExpress urgent care centers and 200 ASCs, acquired in March from Surgical Care Affiliates for $2.3 billion. DMG assets will join the urgent care and surgery centers as part of UnitedHealth’s Optum business unit, which also focuses on consulting, data analytics, and pharmacy benefits.

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Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre for information.

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Announcements and Implementations

Modernizing Medicine will incorporate OptimizeRx’s prescription savings and resources into its EHR for specialists.

CareDash.com upgrades its provider reviews with medical company payment details, and the amount and type of gifts given to physicians by medical device and pharmaceutical companies.

Aprima adds voice recognition capabilities from DocBuddy to its EHR for easier documentation.

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Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

PatientPay raises $6 million in a round led by Teaglach Family Office. The company has raised $18 million since launching in almost 10 years ago. Future growth plans include increasing staff by 85 percent and expanding its Raleigh, NC headquarters by the end of next year.

HealthiPass raises $7.2 million in a Series A round led by FCA Venture Partners. The company, which has developed patient intake and transparent billing technology, will use the capital to hire more staff and expand into more specialties and distribution partnerships.

In New York, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office announces an 878-count indictment covering three years of alleged fraud perpetrated by 20 people (including four physicians) and a dozen companies. It appears those involved paid patients between $30 and $40 to undergo unnecessary tests, which were then fraudulently billed to public and private payers to the tune of $146 million. Ringleader Kristina Mirbabayeva, aided by her husband and mother, purchased a $3.25 million apartment in downtown Brooklyn with her ill-gotten gains.

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People

Kevin Mehta (KPMG) joins Payformance as CTO.

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Other

Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor and seven-time Paralympic medalist Cheri Blauwet, MD pens a thoughtful essay in the New York Times on the challenges faced by medical school students and practicing physicians with disabilities.

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Sponsor Updates

• Consulting for Success: The Importance of Emotional Intelligence (Culbert Healthcare Solutions)
• Advanced Medical Assistants to the Rescue! (EClinicalWorks)

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Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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