The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the current cost over the next ten years of repealing the SGR physician payment formula and using a zero update during that time is $116 billion and replacing it with a .5% annual update is $136 billion. This cost is down substantially from the $271 billion repeal cost estimated a couple of years ago.
http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/2013%20SGR%20Options%20-%20Final%20Rule.pdfAn AHRQ Statistical Brief shows that for the Medicare population in 2010 the top 5 classes of drug use were metabolic, cardiovascular, CNS, respiratory and gastrointestinal, accounting for $63 billion and 68% of all Medicare drug spending.
http://meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st411/stat411.shtmlA Kaiser Family Foundation report summarizes Medicare Advantage offerings for 2014, noting trends in availability, benefits and cost.
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HHS has extended the deadlines to meet the stage 3 meaningful use deadlines until 2017, adding additional years to stage 2 participation.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/cms-extends-stage-2-delays-stage-3-meaningful-use-46982-1.html?ET=healthdatamanagement:e4114:3722900a:&st=email&utm_source=editorial&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HDM_DAILY_120913_120913A Milliman report shows that the same cancer treatment costs far more in a hospital outpatient setting than it does in a physician's office.
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A Statistical Brief from AHRQ looks at preventable hospitalizations, finding that they fell 6% for adults and 40% for children from 2005 to 2010, saving about 2% of adult hospital spending and 32% of pediatric hospital spending. In a couple of areas, however, potentially avoidable hospital stays increased, notably for hypertension, up over 30%, and diabetic complications, up over 20%.
http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb151.jspAbout 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.