Health Care Week In Review: Wearable Technology, Telehealth Startup, U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Rises, Mylan CEO Goes Before Congress

Source: www.healthcareitnews.com
Here's The Latest in Health Care:
• A new study from the University of Pittsburgh found that wearable technology does not necessarily lead to more weight loss. In a study that enrolled 470 people of varying age and BMI, the mean weight loss for the group using wearables was 7.7 pounds while the group that did not use wearables lost a mean of 13 pounds. There is more to learn about how these devices impact behavioral change. Read More
• Curavi Health, a new startup in the telehealth industry, enables physicians to remotely interact with their patients and nursing home staff via proprietary software and equipment. Nursing home patients are often transferred to hospital emergency rooms unnecessarily due to lack of proper medical advice to their nurses, driving up medical costs and causing more harm than good to the patient's health. Read More
• Despite improvements in health care, the U.S. maternal mortality rate has risen while the global death rate fell by more than a third from 2000 to 2015. Some researchers argue that the increase is a result of rising ailments such as heart problems and other chronic conditions, like diabetes, in the population. Other factors, such as increased pregnancy rates in older women, better tracking of maternal deaths and even racial disparities have been theorized. Read More
• The ongoing EpiPen saga continues as Mylan CEO, Heather Bresch, met with members of Congress yesterday to testify in response to the unprecedented, six-fold price increase of the life-saving EpiPen auto-injectors and the political firestorm over pharmaceutical profitability. Bresch claims that after rebates, fees and other related costs, the company reaps a profit of $100 per two-pack, attempting to squelch any misconception surrounding the company's high profit margin from the EpiPens. Still, analysts say the margin is quite high. Read More
Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news.