The Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing its 510(k) process, which is used for many medical device approvals. Two preliminary reports contain a series of recommendations designed to provide…
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Wellness programs continue to grow in popularity as a method for companies to get health costs under control and to improve productivity. A new report summarizes evidence on what may…
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Another Saturday, another Potpourri, featuring the acquisition of a hospital medical necessity company, Americans' online health usage, analysis of prescriptions, California workers' compensation, home monitoring of elderly parents, remote psychiatric…
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In a sign that the media is less willing to accept some of the Administration's misleading pronunciations about health care, when HHS claimed that the Medicare Trustee's report showed the…
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Personalized medicine relies on genetic testing for much of its information. Direct-to-consumer genetic testing firms are widespread and a GAO report reveals that much of their work appears shoddy and…
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A Health Affairs/Robert Wood Johnson Issue Brief examines the accountable care organization concept, particularly as embodied in the recent federal health legislation. While there may be potential, as ACOs are…
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An EBRI report summarizes what seems to be known to date about the effects of consumer-directed health plans and provides statistics on their use. One clear conclusion is the need…
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The American Medical Association has issued a report on the malpractice experience of physicians. Most will be sued at some point during their careers, and the fear of malpractice exposure…
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Summer begins to wane, but not our Potpourris. Another one full of useful data, including health insurance costs for 2011, a new telehealth joint venture, use of kiosks in physician…
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Wireless or mobile communication technologies are enjoying a rapid spread in health care. Two of the primary federal agencies which might impact the development and spread of these technologies are…
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Every year Medicare puts out very lengthy and detailed proposed, and ultimately final, rules updating the reimbursement for all of the classes of providers--physicians, hospitals, etc. While reading these is…
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The New Yorker carries an exceptional article by Atul Gawande on end-of-life care, highlighting irrational reimbursement policies and the difficult decisions that both patients and providers must make.
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Although its reform effort appears to have gone amok, largely for cost reasons, the state of Massachusetts is producing a lot of useful data and research on medical service delivery,…
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A study of diagnostic practices for Medicare beneficiaries reveals geographic variations. These variations not only may suggest either under or overuse of diagnostic tests but they can bias other research…
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A lot of great items in this week's potpourri, covering the acquisition of HealthGrades, what encourages men to get screenings, potential cheating on pay-for-performance schemes, the problems of a multi-payer…
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