Uwe Reinhardt is one of the wise old men of health care economics and policy. The New York Times has a recent blog column by him in which he reviews…
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Hospitals and other providers often use group purchasing organizations to facilitate obtaining goods and services at better prices and other terms. A GAO report looks at some of the business…
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The days shorten but the potpourri stays strong, this week including information on the safety of FDA-cleared devices; medication adherence; genetic tests; the FDA and CMS working together to review…
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A Congressional Budget Office Report finds that Medicare Part D and its beneficiaries have accrued very significant savings, about 55%, from use of generic drugs and that more savings may…
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Two recent publications explore the potential of widespread use of the medical home concept to create better primary care and coordination of overall care for patients, and examine barriers and…
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A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine gives heart to supporters of telephone-based care management programs. Largely because of reduced hospitalizations, patients in the intervention arm had…
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Telemedicine is being applied to many diseases and conditions and telemonitoring is spreading as a core component of self-management of health and a method to ensure greater continuity of care.…
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The Dartmouth Atlas researches whether more primary care necessarily leads to better quality of care. The answer appears to be usually not, but the explanation for this result is complex…
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The days are shortening and the light fades, but there is still enough to read our Potpourri, which this week includes two benefit consultants' views on health care coverage costs…
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CMS is very enamored of quality ratings for providers of all types, including the Medicare Advantage plans, which are rated on a five-star basis. A new brief examines changes to…
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An article in Health Affairs looks at new proposals for paying physicians on an at-risk basis in light of the historical experience with capitation, which operated in a similar manner.
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The National Academy of Social Insurance tracks workers' compensation trends, among other items, and has issued a report which confirms that medical costs are rising faster than indemnity costs.
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Consumers increasingly look for medical information and advice on the internet. Research, including a recent study relating to childhood health issues, suggests that many times the data given can be…
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Obesity has been fingered as one of the villains of health care cost increases. A CBO analysis verifies that obese persons appear to have significantly higher annual health care costs…
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On the menu for this week's potpourri--savings from wellness efforts for a large employer; drug reimbursement for Medicaid programs; using remote monitoring in a health plan context; the FDA's regulatory…
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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.