Another excellent paper from the Congressional Budget Office is issued, this one on Medicare's demonstration projects on value-based payments to providers. Once again, the demonstrations had very mixed results, with…
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One creation of the federal reform law was the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The Institute has released a draft of its proposed priorities for research, available for comment by…
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A study on colorectal screening for women compared the effect of a web-based intervention and a print intervention. The most interesting finding, however, relates to how often people signed on…
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The Wall Street Journal published a special section devoted to big health care issues, with a pro and con format on questions ranging from should there be a health insurance…
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Another zinger of a Potpourri, with nuggets on a GAO audit of NQF work, use of web tools for diabetes management, the Healthways well-being index, the problem with federal health…
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Venture capital is critical to the formation and growth of small businesses and this is as true or more true for health care than it is for other industries. The…
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The American Hospital Association releases its Principles and Guidelines for Changes in Hospital Ownership, which recognize and attempt to ameliorate the public concerns about the effects of hospital consolidation or…
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has engaged in a number of care management demonstrations over the years. The Congressional Budget Office adds its assessment to the body of…
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A noted health economist discusses the recent release of national health spending and spending growth for 2010, finding that while expenditures appear to have slowed, we are a long way…
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Winter is getting long and tedious by now, but our Potpourri offers a welcome respite, with refreshing tidbits on hospital uncompensated care, teledermatology, Medicaid controls of antipsychotic use, Medicare cuts…
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Researchers have published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association which examines hospital readmission rates for heart attack patients in multiple countries. The United States has higher…
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An astoundingly small number of patients account for a very high percentage of overall national health expenditures and an equally astounding large number of patients account for a very small…
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When money starts getting attached to calculations, the nitty-gritty of how the data for the calculations is collected and how the calculation is defined become very important. An article in…
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The Employee Benefit Research Institute provides a quick look at two interesting topics. The new reform law requires that employer health plans provide coverage for adult children up to the…
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Our latest Potpourri reveals details about causes of workplace injuries, the effect of raising the Medicare eligibility age, benefit levels in existing health policies, false claims prosecutions and off-label drug…
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