A study of a medical home model indicates reductions in hospital admissions and readmissions and possibly a reduction in total spending. It is not clear, however, what the full economic impact was nor is it clear that most practices would see the results that this particular provider system did.
Summer nears an end, but not our Potpourris. This one includes the costs of malpractice, an innovative provider error disclosure program, employer wellness paybacks, blood pressure medication issues, the cost of new technologies, provider pricing power and the mental health of Californians.
Everyone is anxious to see the early effects of the reform law on health care costs. Another survey of large employer groups regarding their 2010 and 2011 expectations indicates that those costs are continuing to go up, probably at a faster pace.
It is well-established that physicians respond to various economic incentives by changing their treatment behavior. A recent study explores this phenomenon in the context of Medicare’s cancer chemotherapy drug reimbursement policies.
Palliative care has been extensively researched and the results indicate greater quality of life and patient satisfaction for persons with terminal illness. New research suggests it also extends survival.
A study discusses trends in the use of emergency rooms. Medicaid beneficiaries are the vast majority of the increase in utilization, which may reflect poor access to primary care or inappropriate health care seeking behavior.
New research adds more caution to the promotion of great benefits from electronic medical records. The researchers found that in hospitals, costs actually increased and quality worsened by some measures, although improving by others.
Another selection of medical delights, including a telemedicine study that didn’t show improved outcomes, a telemedicine study that demonstrated the value of teleaudiology, end-of-life care, physician quality measurement, hospital quality measurement, and telemedicine for CHF patients.
Another recent report looks at HIEs, which are part of the critical infrastructure for reform. The status of each state’s efforts and progress are detailed, as well as some general observations on lessons learned to date.
Medical errors have received a lot of attention since the Institute of Medicine published a seminal report almost a decade ago. A new analysis from the Society of Actuaries suggests that such mistakes cost the country at least $20 billion a year and potentially a much greater sum.
AHRQ released a statistical brief looking at state differences in the cost of employment-based health insurance and how much of that cost is borne by employees. Follow-up research to understand factors contributing to the variation would be interesting.
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 greater predictability in the process, while ensuring identification of significant safety concerns.
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 make these efforts most effective.
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 evaluations and telemedicine to treat depression.
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 new health law extended Medicare solvency by several years, most sources noted that the CMS Actuary disagreed.