Steve Case Announces Revolution Health Acquisitions and Financing Agreements

As expected, Revolution Health Group founder and former AOL CEO Steve Case on Wednesday announced several new acquisitions and financing arrangements, the Washington Post reports. The company will finance the opening of in-store medical clinics at retailers such as Wal-Mart and will spearhead the development of a Web portal that will allow consumers to manage their health care (Shin, Washington Post, 10/6). Case founded the company in April to promote consumer-driven care (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 10/5). Revolution has purchased a minority position in Interfit Health, a Houston-based company that provides health screenings and immunizations at retail stores. The investment will underwrite the expansion of RediClinics, medical clinics staffed by nurse practitioners in retail locations (Washington Post, 10/6). The acquisitions related to the Web portal effort include MyDNA Media, which provides up-to-date health information; 1-800-Schedule, which aids consumers in finding doctors and scheduling appointments; Simo Software, which helps users manage their health care spending; and Wondir, a search engine that links users to others who can help with health care problems. In addition, Revolution has acquired a controlling interest in companies that will help employers manage health care coverage, including Extend Benefits, which helps companies provide individualized insurance plans for their employees, and ConnectYourCare, which helps employers offering health savings accounts by providing additional services to help manage those accounts (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 10/5). Through its Web portal, the company's goal is to "build the leading online resource for health care," CEO John Pleasants said, adding, "With these acquisitions we've got some great pieces, ... but there is still much work to be done." The company did not disclose how much it spent on the acquisitions (Washington Post, 10/6).