Attention to management of chronic diseases is a common feature of health systems around the world. Germany has implemented an approach which is focused through primary care physicians and has shown both quality improvement and cost savings.
A new study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at common methods of calculating hospital mortality rates and found significant variation in the results, which has significant implications for the usability of this frequently used quality metric.
Health Affairs carries several articles analyzing imaging use, particularly in regard to physician interests in imaging equipment. The findings support the idea that physicians are often driven by their own economic advantage when making decisions about patient treatment.
The Medical Group Management Association does an annual survey of how its members view various payers. In general, Medicare is viewed most favorably but its payment system is viewed as the worst and physicians want that system fixed.
Another week, another Potpourri, this one detailing items including high deductible insurance and delay of care; another study looking at HDHP and well-child care; a quality comparison of Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service; video games to improve health and CMS’ report on several quality demonstrations.
EHRs are coming and great benefits are promised in the quality of patient care. A new brief looks at the possible costs and cost benefits of EHRs, particularly for smaller group practices. Some interesting findings are included in a survey of practices without EHRs.
MetLife’s Mature Market Institute does some excellent research in regard to aging the medical care and other needs of the elderly. Two new reports extend that tradition, describing long-term care costs and surveying adult day care services.
Research continues to accumulate suggesting that the patient-centered medical home can save money while improving care and patient satisfaction. A new report summarizes this evidence, but the applicability of the model across the entire system has yet to be demonstrated.
A new report sponsored by a unit of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation describes the state of workplace clinics and interviews a number of participants to identify trends, challenges and success factors.
Government spending to support and encourage greater use of information technology in health care has accelerated dramatically in the last two years. An AHRQ report describes several success stories relating to health improvement and cost savings from HIT.
The snow is raging here in Minneapolis, but nothing stops the delivery of our Potpourri, which includes discussion of paybacks on EHRs, the fate of dialysis patients, use of telecommunciations to aid drug adherence, cost savings from select pharmacy networks and hospital readmissions.
Personalized medicine sometimes gets lost in the debate over other major health care issues, but it is probably the single most significant development in the actual delivery of medical care and will be so for the next decade. A new report details reimbursement hurdles to growth of the field.
One of the premises of the movement to constrain health spending is that there is a lot of wasteful care in some geographic areas. A notable New Yorker article last year made McAllen Texas the poster child for this thesis, but new research suggests the issue may be more complex.
Prescriptions written by doctors and transmitted to pharmacies are not always picked up by patients. New research examines the factors that appear to be linked to, if not causative of, such prescription abandonment.
EBRI released results of its sixth annual survey on consumer engagement in health care, finding a steady increase in CDHP enrollment and continued trends of more cost-conscious and wellness-oriented behaviors among persons in those plans.
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 [email protected].
© 2024 Healthy Skeptic.
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify
Overcast
PocketCasts
Radio Public
Stitcher
Anchor
RSS - Posts