One reason hospital prices may rise is that the cost of supplies and equipment that they use can go up rapidly. The Modern Healthcare/ECRI Institute Technology Price Index finds for example that the average cost of surgical tables, a mundane item, is up about 16% in the last year.
https://www.ecri.org/Pages/PriceIndex.aspxA study in the American Journal of Managed Care finds that electronic prescribing grew from 30% in 2007 to 56% in 2010, with primary care doctors being more likely to engage in it than specialists and urban doctors more frequent users than rural ones.
http://www.ajmc.com/publications/ajpb/2013/ajpb_novdec2013/Electronic-Prescription-Use-by-Specialty?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=AJMC&utm_campaign=AJPB+Web+12%2D13%2D13A Kaiser Family Foundation brief finds that Medicare patients continue to have generally good access to physicians.
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Use of hospitalists appears to be associated with lower hospital readmissions, according to a study in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/study-hospitalist-presence-associated-with-reduced-readmissions.html?utm_source=H2RMinutes+PCMH+Dec.+10%2C+2013&utm_campaign=PCMH-AC+Minutes+12%2F10%2F13+&utm_medium=emailStartup Doctor on Demand has raised $3 million to grow its telehealth product to deal with non-emergency health issues, adding one more company to a crowded field.
http://medcitynews.com/2013/12/telehealth-startup-doctors-demand-raises-3m-seed-funding/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=f14c3fc367-RSS_Daily+Top+Stories&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-f14c3fc367-67648197According to a survey from Duke University and CFO Magazine, 20% of companies say they are likely to hire fewer workers, 10% may lay off employees and 40% will shift to more part-time personnel due to the reform law.
http://medcitynews.com/2013/12/obamacare-news-healthcare-reform-curbs-full-time-hiring/?utm_source=MedCity+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=f14c3fc367-RSS_Daily+Top+Stories&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c05cce483a-f14c3fc367-67648197A PriceWaterhouseCooper Report finds that funding for life sciences companies seems to be lagging that for other industries, with potential positive and negative implications.
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A Press Ganey analysis suggests that 15% of patients are at high risk of switching physicians, largely because they would not recommend the physician to others. The analysis highlights the need to focus on patient satisfaction and loyalty and basics such as listening well and being courteous can be key.
http://www.pressganey.com/researchResources/white-papers/white-papers-for-hospitals/patient-loyalty-affordable-care-act.aspxThe Administration says more than 100,000 people enrolled through the exchanges in November, far, far short of projection and far, far short of anything approaching full enrollment of everyone who is supposed to enroll under the individual mandate. Better than October though!!
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20131211/NEWS/312119965?AllowView=VDl3UXpKSzdDL1dCbkJiYkY0M3hla0dvamtVZERPTT0=&utm_source=link-20131211-NEWS-312119965&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mpdaily&utm_name=topA recent Gallup poll suggests that 30% of adult Americans deferred health care services due to cost concerns, with the uninsured and younger people being the most likely to do so. Interestingly more say they put off care for a serious condition than a less significant one, but it is unclear how much necessary care is actually being delayed.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/166178/costs-keep-americans-getting-treatment.aspxAbout this Blog
The Healthy Skeptic is a website about the health care system, and is written by Kevin Roche, who has many years of experience working in the health industry. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.