The second annual report by the Massachusetts AG on health care spending trends continues to find that provider market power is a major factor and that using a risk-based payment…
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Two articles describe in detail how Britain's NICE operates in creating guidelines and conducting cost-effectiveness reviews. The process is highly transparent and professional, and while the institution has taken criticism…
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AHRQ issued yet another detailed, informative evidence review, this one on use of health information technology for medication management purposes. While many studies exist, the strength of the evidence for…
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PriceWaterhouseCooper discusses opportunities for health care business over the next decade, identifying new segments with growth, as well as challenges that must be overcome.
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Summer waxes but no heat-induced torpor can stop us from producing our Potpourri of health snapshots, including the health care and health care coverage of young adults; malpractice incidence; Massachusetts…
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An AHRQ Statistical Brief looks at changes in employer-based insurance premiums from 2001-2009, finding large increases in premiums and even larger increases in the employees' share of such premiums, particularly…
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Health literacy is the degree to which a patient can understand and use health-related information to help make decisions about his or her care. A report from AHRQ reviews the…
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An NCCI brief examines the effects of changes in workers' compensation fee schedules on actual reimbursements, finding a complex relationship that may have applicability to group health as well.
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Provider performance reporting is spreading rapidly and increasingly has payment consequences attached to it. New research published in JAMA gives further reason to be cautious in designing and implementing these…
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The week's Potpourri continues the tradition of presenting excellent nuggets of health information, including EHR use in the VA system, the effect of making surrogate care decisions, screening for ovarian…
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CMS issued a proposed notice regarding its regular review of relative value units for physician reimbursement under Medicare. The notice gives you a sense of the impossibility of understanding what…
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Two articles report on research into aspects of health information exchange, a cornerstone reason for expanding provider use of information technology, particularly electronic medical records. Infrastructure for HIE is severely…
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A working paper at the National Bureau of Economics reports on an analysis of the effects of England's attempt to increase competition between hospitals on quality, finding that hospitals in…
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A new report from McKinsey finds that the federal reform law will have more of an effect on the market for employer-based health insurance than other studies suggested would occur.…
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Another scintillating menu of health care tidbits, including provider reaction to the proposed Accountable Care Organization rule; end-of-life care in the US and Canada; hospital volume and outcomes for difficult…
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About 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.