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 practices of these organizations.
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 products; state all-payer databases and the increasing control of physician practices by hospital systems.
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 be available in the near future.
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 challenges for adoption.
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 lower monthly medical costs, for a modest price.
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. A survey of studies on telemonitoring for hypertension finds improved outcomes.
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 and it may not be as simple as cause and effect.
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 for next year, hospice care at end-of-life, insurance premium hikes in Connecticut, Massachusetts health reform outcomes, and how patients’ characteristics affects doctors’ quality ratings.
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 this rating program.
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.
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.
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 erroneous.
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 compared to non-obese persons.
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 approach to mobile health uses; the effect of tort reform on imaging rates and hepatitis C pay-for-performance measures.
Health Affairs publishes several studies addressing inappropriate use of the emergency room, finding that many visits could be dealt with in other settings, but that higher copays may not deter inappropriate use.