For this week, I'm moving the weekly blockchain feature to the top of the links, as blockchain continues to capture business and technology attention. The Wall Street Journal even reported that blockchain is at a tipping point, in a comparison of the technology now versus the internet 25 years ago. It certainly is in terms of FinTech attention.

With pride and promise just two short years ago, Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) introduced Prominence Health, a wholly-owned subsidiary,  that would “significantly advance CHI’s ability to excel in a pay-for-value environment.”
 

Rocky Transitions

I know it's difficult to believe but transitions in technology and updates to regulatory regimes do not necessarily put the consumer's point of view first. The digitization of money and banking is inevitable, but the ability of FinTech to empower individuals and community institutions is not.

This week's links provide some examples. And also some hope for outcomes that work for everyone.

The chip card transition in the U.S. has been a disaster

Earlier this month, President Obama took the unprecedented step of authoring an academic research article in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) to document the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) accomplishments and suggest improvements.
 

EconVue Q&A with David W. Johnson and his new book, Market vs. Medicine: America's Epic Fight for Better, Affordable Healthcare

Q: Who should read market vs. medicine?

A: Healthcare professionals and anyone interested in how the market will fix America’s very broken and very expensive healthcare system.

Q: You have interviewed many healthcare startups for this book, which company stands out the most and why?

Wisconsin may never be the same. Green Bay Packers star quarterback announced this month that he has stopped eating dairy products to “get healthier.” As Bart Simpson might observe, the State of Wisconsin is having a "collective cow".

The Packers are the only publically-owned NFL team. Wisconsin is “The Dairy State.” The Packers and dairy products are inextricably woven into the identity of Wisconsin residents. That’s why Packers fans proudly call themselves “Cheeseheads.”
 

Like hospitals that optimize revenues through complex assignment of charges, discounts and subsidies, aligned pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and pharmaceutical companies manipulate retail and net pricing on “branded” drugs to enhance organizational profitability.
 

The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) released its annual report of healthcare prices last month. To no-one’s surprise, HCCI found huge variation in commercial prices for 240 common medical services across 41 states. Here’s an excerpt from HCCI’s press release:
 
In New Hampshire and Wisconsin, over 20 percent of health care services are twice the national average price. While in Arizona, Florida, Maryland and Tennessee, over 90 percent of health care services are priced lower than the national average.
 

If you haven't heard, I'm moving into a passive role at Technori after six years and a wonderful person, Scott Kitun, is taking my place as the CEO and the face of Technori. You can read about it in the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Inno. You can reach Scott at kitun@technori.com.
 

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