Michael Botta

I’ve been given advice that the fastest way to monetize HER Heard without charging the end user (woman) is trackers and selling data. Instead, I’d like to build something more trustworthy. I don’t want to be in a headline like this. If you are not paying, then you are the product (you/your data are being sold). There are newer ways to deindentify data or even to aggregate things women search for that can be of interest to various stakeholders. In theory that could be okay to sell, but in a post-Roe world with laws encouraging bounty hunting, I am vetting the choices ahead. I am all for moving fast, without breaking things.

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At Third Horizon, we believe in the value of good data in transforming decision-making and impact. Transparency in Coverage (TiC) regulations promise opportunities for better-informed decision-making around health care costs. But how do we leverage this incredible data set for real change? I'm proud to work with incredibly talented colleagues who are thinking deeply about this opportunity. In this article, my colleagues Cheryl Matochik and Geoffrey Kuhn unpack the promise and the perils of this new data set and provide guidance on where providers, employers, payers, and systems can start to put the data to work. If you're looking for ways to transform decision making through this data, let us know how we can help!

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In the last 4 years, we've seen dramatic surges and falls in healthcare private equity deals and volumes. PE investments can revitalize existing healthcare organizations and breathe life into new, innovative approaches. Read more from my colleague Troy Keach on the top PE trends emerging in 2024.

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AI startups ramp up their federal lobbying efforts to influence U.S. AI policy. The focus is on advocating for regulations that strike a balance between innovation and safety. This surge in lobbying underscores the industry's commitment to shaping the legal landscape for responsible AI development. #AI #Policy #Innovation #TechRegulation

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#unavoidableopportunity #climateresilience now. “Climate risk is health risk. Beep Saúde provides digital access to in-home vaccination, diagnostics, infusions, and other health services that can rapidly respond to changing healthcare needs made increasingly complex by climate change,” comments Jay Koh, Managing Director at the Lightsmith Group. “We are excited to partner with Dr. Vander Corteze and the world-class team at Beep, as well as Beep’s existing investors. Beep has proven that technology can provide rapidly responsive, patient-centered healthcare at home that can address the increasing effects of climate change. We look forward to helping Beep scale its impact and its business as a critical tool to addressing the health impacts from climate change.” #climaterisk = #healthrisk. The Lightsmith Group, Beep Saúde, Jay Koh, Vander Corteze, MD, Serena Shi, Emmanuel Caroit

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Withings: "As digital health continues to mature, M&A will become a strategic necessity for fostering innovation, ensuring competitive advantage and meeting the growing demand for seamless, interoperable and impactful health solutions." https://lnkd.in/eH4JPgKk

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Title: Bridging the Gap: Public and Private Healthcare Collaboration On June 11, we hosted a pivotal meeting with key voices from both private healthcare providers and public healthcare regulators and providers. The consensus was clear: collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential to create a robust and sustainable healthcare system. Here’s how we can achieve this: 1. Unified Vision:Establish common goals like improving patient outcomes and increasing accessibility. 2. Leverage Strengths:Public systems excel in broad coverage and preventive care, while private providers lead in innovation and efficiency. 3. Data Sharing:Integrate data to enhance diagnosis, treatment, and preventive measures. 4. Joint Investment:Collaborate on funding for advanced medical technologies and telemedicine. 5. Policy Harmonization:Align policies to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and foster innovation. 6. Public-Private Partnerships: Pool resources to tackle infrastructure and rural healthcare challenges. 7. Continuous Improvement: Regular feedback and communication to adapt to changing needs. Our meeting highlighted the potential of collaboration in transforming healthcare. By working together, we can build a more efficient, equitable, and responsive healthcare system. Let’s commit to this collaborative journey for a healthier future. #UHC #medicalai #health #PPP

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Artificial Intelligence presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to cement Massachusetts’ leadership in healthcare and life sciences. However, the rapid rise of AI could erode rather than consolidate Massachusetts’ leadership in these sectors as other states and countries compete for talent and business. Coordinated action among employers, educators, and the state is crucial to maintain our leading position.   As noted in today’s Boston Business Journal article, under the Massachusetts High Technology Council, Inc.'s MassVision2050 initiative, Val Panier at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) led an advisory team of senior leaders from industry, hospitals, and academia to develop a strategic blueprint. The resulting MassVision2050 whitepaper details the strategy to achieve this vision, outlining crucial actions for talent development, data interoperability, and public-private partnerships.   We appreciate Secretary Yvonne Hao for taking time to join us and provide important updates on the Administration’s economic development strategy and AI Strategic Task Force. Special thanks to the BCG research team, Margot Bleys, John Wu, Nithya Vaduganathan, and Vladimir Lukic, and to the members of our advisory council for their valuable contributions and insights: Brian Anderson, MD of Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) and MITRE, Julie Chen and Yu Cao of University of Massachusetts Lowell, Thaddeus Guldbrandsen of Wentworth Institute of Technology, Peter Healy of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, David Luzzi, Ph.D., M.B.A. of Northeastern University, Gabriele Ricci of Takeda, Steve Schwartz and David Wang of Azenta Life Sciences, Dan Shine of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Priya Singhal of Biogen, Grace W. of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Jean-Charles Wirth of MilliporeSigma.   Download the whitepaper here: https://lnkd.in/g3TzM3sb

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After years of underconsolidation, are we finally seeing a growing wave of consolidation? What sectors of #DigitalHealth? What's driving it? Find out this and more in The Consolidation Wave is Coming with me and Ari Tulla now published on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Spotify link: https://lnkd.in/ePfYegz3. Subscribe, comment, re-post, listen, like, post a review.

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Let's get ahead of the issue of health insurers doubling as venture capitalists. In addition to describing how it creates risks for patients and clinicians, I outline recommendations for how to bring greater accountability and transparency to this practice. Thank you, Wendell Potter, for the opportunity to contribute to Healthcare Uncovered. #healthinsurance #venturecapital #healthcareinnovation #clinicians

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I’m pleased to share a new Health Equity through Analytics report on #Infrastructure as an indirect driver of health. Our report stresses the need for contextual analysis of commuting, housing, and Wi-Fi access, which often lie beyond individual control. Some key points include: Dense housing can offer better local service access and social connectedness despite its disadvantages. Working from home may benefit community health but affects income groups differently. WiFi access supports community health through telehealth services and educational resources, but impact varies with county income. Explore the data and recommendations to help advance health equity through collaboration among consumers, organizations, communities, and governments. Thank you Elya Papoyan Pavan Kumar Bhoslay Dr. Nivedha Subburaman Wynne Robinson Raviteja Saragadam Mani Keita Fakeye, PhD ConvergeHEALTH by Deloitte Deloitte https://deloi.tt/3DzPcoA

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The #Uninsured in America: KFF Annual Update On Wed., KFF released its (always illuminating) annual issue brief describing #healthdata trends in health care coverage thru 2023, highlighting key characteristics of uninsured. Takeaways: ▶️ America's uninsured population reached historic lows in 2023 on the heels of pandemic-era gains in #Medicaid and #Marketplace coverage ▪️ ~25.3m Americans age 0-64 remained uninsured, incl ~4.0m children ▪️ 9.5% uninsured rate was unchanged from 2022, though ticked up for kids (5.2% + 0.2 pct pts) ▪️Thru the pandemic, 2019-23, coverage gains were greatest for American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) (-3.0 pct pts to 18.7%) and Hispanic individuals (-2.1 pct pts to 17.9%) ▶️ The uninsured in America: ▪️ Come from working households, w 73.7% having at least one full-time worker in their family ▪️ Are just as often lower-income, w 46.6% having incomes <200% FPL ($60k/family of four), as lower middle-income, w 34.3% having incomes between 200% and 400% FPL ($120k/family of four) ▪️ Are disproportionately Hispanic (41.1%), double the U.S. pop share (19.1%), followed those who are White (37.1%) ▶️ Uninsured rates are highest for: ▪️ AI/AN and Hispanic individuals, at 18.7% and 17.9%, despite gains ▪️Individuals living in non-expansion states (14.1%), w TX having the highest uninsured rate in the country (18.6%), then OK (13.5%), and FL (13.4%) ▪️Low-income individuals (15.6% for those <200% FPL) ▪️Non-citizens (~32%) ▶️ Nearly two-thirds of uninsured adults reported that they were uninsured due to reported lack of access to affordable coverage (63.2%) ▪️ A similar proportion of the uninsured (64.7%) reported that their employer did not offer health benefits. Where employer benefits were offered, they were reported to be out-of-reach, as a proportion of income. ▪️ However, ~57% of the uninsured were likely Medicaid or tax credit eligible, potentially indicating that outreach and comms remained critical ▪️ ~25% may be ineligible for financial assistance due to affordability thresholds or otherwise fall into the coverage gap ▶️ When Americans are uninsured, they: ▪️Forgo needed care, with nearly half (46.6%) not seeing a health care professional in the past year and a quarter postponing care due to cost ▪️Confront greater problems paying for health care when needed (49% vs. 21%) and are more worried about health care debt (84% vs. 71%) 👉 What I'm thinking about: ▪️ Kids: it is unacceptable that one-in-twenty American children, citizens and all (if that matters to you), are living without insurance ▪️Non-citizen uninsurance: one-in-three are uninsured. This is worrisome and an issue we need to confront. ▪️"Expanding Coverage Increases Costs for All" = hooey. TX and FL are in the top 20 for per enrollee private health insurance spending. Authors: Jennifer Tolbert, Sammy Cervantes, Clea Bell, Anthony Damico Article: https://lnkd.in/eK6g2kdw

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At ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research 2024, moderator Laura T. Housman, MPH, MBA, DrPH(c) (Avalere) was joined by Mike Ciarametaro (Avalere) and Jan McKendrick (Avalere Health) to discuss the pressing need for #lifescience companies to evolve their value demonstration methodologies to keep pace with the rapidly changing global health policy landscape. Read our Deep Dive at The Evidence Base® #heor #healtheconomics #outcomesresearch #rwe #rwd #realworldevidence #realworlddata #marketaccess #pharma #biopharma #medicalaffairs #hta #healthtechnologyassessment #healthdata #healthequity #healthpolicy #inflationreductionact #jointclinicalassessment #jca

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Why are venture capital firms increasingly investing in clinical care delivery? My latest for Forbes. I explore the investing landscape and how VC (and private equity) firms are increasing their bets on care delivery organizations. I specifically take a look at the recent acquisition of Summa Health by venture capital titan, General Catalyst There's also an important discussion on why non-traditional players are interested in the healthcare landscape. For example, tech giant Amazon has made incredible strides in the space, with its One Medical platform and Amazon Pharmacy One key answer: healthcare is ripe for disruption, and these players hope to become primary catalysts for that disruption As always, keen to hear your thoughts and feedback! CC: Hemant Taneja, Sue Kwon, Marc Harrison, Cliff Deveny MD, Daryl Tol, Josette Beran, Harish Battu, Benjamin Sutton, Molly Blaauw Gillis, Reva Nohria, Sing Yuen (Joey) Chan, Pranay Orugunta, Matt Schwartz, Rachel Sazanowicz, Sandra Desautels, Andy Jassy, Andrew Diamond, Vin Gupta, MD MPA, Christina Smith, Neil Lindsay, Katie Stafford #health #digital #innovation #ai #GenAI #cloud #invest #jobs #economy #VC #PE https://lnkd.in/gY3VsHCH

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In our latest podcast series, we're diving deep into the journeys of academic medicine’s top deans. From leadership insights to personal reflections, these conversations are packed with wisdom. Our first two episodes feature Terence Flotte, M.D., on enabling others to succeed, and Robert Golden, M.D., on leading with humor and perspective. Tune in for an inspiring listen, and follow the podcast for future episodes! Link to podcasts in my comments! 🎙️⬇️ #Leadership #AcademicMedicine #WittKieffer #ImpactfulLeaders #ExecutiveSearch

How could AI help advance understanding of diseases or improve health care outcomes? Read the below Analysis Group Q&A to find out.

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📢 The 2025 final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule dropped yesterday and there are two really significant changes impacting health tech. (1) CMS finalized coverage for digital therapeutics for mental health. This is the first time there is codified coverage for software-only digital therapies (that have gone through a 510(K) or De Novo pathway). The CPT Editorial Panel also expanded the definition of RTM codes starting in 2025. Together, these changes open the door to coverage and payment for digital therapeutics (though uptake will still be an uphill battle without much stronger clinical evidence). (2) CMS finalized coverage of advanced primary care management codes. These codes can be used instead of CCM, TCM, PCM, eConsult and eVisit codes, and shifts focus for providers and tech-enabled services companies from tracking time to developing capabilities that underpin advanced primary care. Providers will be able to bill for these services once per Medicare beneficiary per month so long as the practice has in place the capabilities to provide advanced primary care. Also some good news related to some operational telehealth flexibilities but we still need congress to act before the end of the year to extend the most important flexibilities (originating site and geographic restrictions). Manatt Health will have a more full summary in the coming days.

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Shifting the financial model alone is not sufficient for the transition - the care delivery, workforce, and many other pieces of the ecosystem with which PCPs interact also need to adjust accordingly. Funding to allow for the startup costs of transformation must be made available. A comprehensive analysis from The Commonwealth Fund: To encourage participation, practitioners say upfront payments, investment in the primary care workforce, and less emphasis on simplistic quality measures are needed, as well as more support for practices to provide accessible, comprehensive care. #primarycare #integratedcare #teambasedcare #healthcare #healthcareonlinkedin

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Some keen findings from this well researched Health Affairs: 1) "... the types of payment models and types of employing organizations are determining factors in VBC participation. The factors influencing the intensity of participation align with those affecting the extent of participation: those most likely to participate tend to do so across multiple models." --> If you're looking to grow your value-based network, best to look for current value-based providers and look to add them to a new model. 2) Specialists are no where meaningfully engaged in value-based care, "Policymakers have numerous opportunities to better engage specialists in a true team-based care approach". --> This concurs with where venture capital has been looking to place investment, the opportunity and need to grow specialist enablement. 3) OB/Gyn are the specialists most associated with capitated payments, "Obstetricians/gynecologists showed a higher likelihood of participating in capitation, which promotes coordinated care. This is consistent with payment schemes for obstetricians/gynecologists" --> Pregnancy as an episode, is likely still the easiest bundle for payers and provider to contract.

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