All GLG News Analyses Filed Under: Healthcare Services

Will Feds Destroy Commercial Insurance?

May 21, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Health Plans Would Add to Controls on Insurers | www.nytimes.com

The feds are no stranger to healthcare reform.  It failed under Kennedy, Nixon, and Clinton.  Common sense tells us that 20% (2009) indivudual, small group AND (10%-20%) large group premium increases, and cost-shift to commercial carriers is unsustainable.  Looking at federal reform now is a shot in the dark to what finally gets approved in the DC sausage maker.  One thing is dangerously certain.  If the healthiest commercial lives get to switch to a better rate or federal plan, it will leave the sickest people with each employer, and massively drive up experience rated premium in 1-3 years.  If the the opposite happens where only the sickest people are purged from the employer plan, then the federal program will require massive new tax subsodie.  There is no free lunch.     

The Impact of Potential Health Care Reform on Health Plans

May 20, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Health Plans Would Add to Controls on Insurers | www.nytimes.com

This week, we're getting an introduction to the direction that the Democrats want to take the health care reform discussion. Consistent with the mandate viewpoint, the House and Senate sponsors seem to be taking an aggressive stance. While the plans are very complex (and assuredly difficult to administer, especially via the tax code), they contain some interesting details, which, if adopted, will have significant impact on health plans and shape the marketplace for the future.

While neither of these organizations is an established player in home healthcare, they certaintly have name recognition to establish dominate positions here. However, with the huge potential this emerging market promises, they will have to position themselves against a numer of other consumer electronics, information technology and medical device/diagnostics companies.

April 22, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Intel, GE Form Health-Care Alliance | online.wsj.com

1.  It shows that the giants are well aware of the huge potential this market offers, considering the aging population, healthcare crisis, and increasing emphasis on preventative medicine and disease management. 2.  Each of these companies is staking a claim on the home healthcare market and committing signicant resources to establish a market and technology lead.  They will compete against an array of healthcare, consumer electronics, and medical device/diagnostics manufacturers. 3.  Neither of these companies is an established player in home healthcare.  Intel is relatively new to the end-user equipment market, and GE, while a strong player in healthcare provider markets, must establish credibility on the consumer/retail side.

Health Reform Equals Economic Reform

April 20, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Presdient Obama creates health reform office | fcw.com

The Health Reform Office in the White House, as this article states, spearheads a commitment at the highest level to act in the health policy arena.  It is not all about the rights of Americans to a civil, human, or economic right to health.  The reason to act is because our economy cannot afford for us not to act.  The article also emphasizes that OMB is a key player in this debate with planned savings in the macro health cost equation already banked on in area's where health interventions are not linked to improved outcomes.

The Intel-GE Alliance -- What's it mean? Not too much...

April 14, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Intel, GE Form Health-Care Alliance | online.wsj.com

announced this past week could get everybody in the tech industry excited.  Even the business pundits that watch them are all aflutter about the possibilities for aging in place technology. I think some perspective is in order, though. Let's place this into a larger context. Investment is tiny and nearly inconsequential. According to GE-Intel: The market for "telehealth" and home health monitoring is forecast to grow from $3 billion in 2009 to an estimated $7.7 billion by 2012, according to GE and Intel. But apparently, GE does not plan to dominate the market near term. The giant firm reported $183 billion in total revenue in 2008. $17 billion was in healthcare -- medical equipment including CT, PET, MRI, nuclear, and X-ray imaging systems, sold to hospitals and medical facilities. Home healthcare is mentioned nowhere in their guidance to investors about what they're doing.

President Obama Creates Health Reform Office

April 14, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Presdient Obama creates health reform office | fcw.com

The article posted in the Federal Computer Week web site on April 8th speaks of President Obama's creation of an Office of Health Reform. By creating this office within the White House, it shows Obama's dedication to making real change within healthcare to improve quality, decrease costs and increase access. The article states that the role of this person will be to break down barriers that occur across both the financial and health sectors within congress and other areas of government. By specifically naming both health and financial committees and governmental entities, it shows the understanding of the tie between health and wealth. Few others have shown this level of understanding regarding the overlap of the two issues.

The Health Stimulus Bill...found money or pig in a poke?

March 26, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Washington's Health Stimulus Bill | finance.yahoo.com

Will the Stimulus Bill finally get providers to move on EMR systems? What are the implications for providers, particularly for their overall budget?   Why won't the program as outlined generate fast results? When and how will it impact Cerner, Allscripts, Eclipsys, and other firms?

EMR systems and Mass Marketing

March 23, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Wal-Mart Plans to Market System for Digital Health Records - NYTimes.com | www.nytimes.com

EMR's are certainly desirable but the use of automated informatics systems in the healthcare industry has lagged far behind all other industries. What is not recognized here is the reliability of the partner company E Clinical Works and the use of an offsite software.

Wal-Mart's Plans to Enter EMR Market

March 20, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Wal-Mart Plans to Market System for Digital Health Records - NYTimes.com | www.nytimes.com

Walmart's plan to introduce EMR to their demographic is bold, but does not address the key problems of cost, in dollars and man hours, and poor appreciation of computers by the physican community.  EMR has a bad connotation amongst physicians, it is a "black box" that is expensive to implement.  Most small offices work rather efficiently.  Large offices are so inefficient that present EMR systems do offer an advantage.

Wal-Mart to Try its Hand at Selling EMR Systems

March 13, 2009

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

Analysis of:Wal-Mart Plans to Market System for Digital Health Records - NYTimes.com | www.nytimes.com

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) can potentially make a medical practice more efficent and successful.  However, there are numerous obstacles, including high cost of inital purchase and annual maintenance, as well as concerns about compatibility with other systems.  Despite these and other issues, the future of medicine seems destined to be rely on EMRs in one capacity or another.  Wal-Mart is poised to sell a specific EMR system through its Sam's Club chain.

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