An analysis from the CMS Office of Actuary examines the effects of the current House of Representatives health care reform bill and finds that while it would substantially reduce the number of uninsured persons, it would also likely significantly increase not only the federal deficit, but total health spending.
A study finds a modest link between fully functional EHRs and performance on HEDIS quality measures by Massachusetts physicians.
JAMA publishes an article on some common screenings, suggesting a new strategy that would attempt to identify and screen only high risk individuals and would limit treatment to tumors demonstrated to be likely to cause significant disease.
We have released a research report on The Value of Prevention & Wellness. The report describes various preventive interventions and examines methods of valuing these programs and specific research on the value of prevention and wellness activities.
The Society for Participatory Medicine is starting a journal focused on shared decision making and other aspects of patient engagement in their medical care.
The California HealthCare Foundation releases a report on Participatory Health, which provides an introduction to the potential of online and mobile technologies in management of chronic illness.
The latest survey on the impact of reform in Massachusetts indicates that employers are continuing to offer good coverage, but costs, especially to small firms and their employees, are going up.
A study reported in Circulation indicates that California teaching hospitals that utilize more resources in treating heart failure had lower rates of mortality. The study results call into question the methods and findings of some Dartmouth Atlas research. Another report looks at supply and variation in MRI usage.
The American Heart Association issues a comprehensive set of recommendations for improving cardiovascular health through workplace wellness programs, continuing its efforts to prevent acute coronary disease.
Brookings forsees a health system which is organized around consumers’ management of their own care, with extensive use of mobile and telehealth technologies, and reimbursement and incentives to encourage widespread adoption of this consumer-centered approach.
AHIP commissioned PriceWaterhouseCoopers to do an analysis of the Baucus bill’s impact on insurance premiums. The report, which has been strongly attacked by reform proponents, concludes that the weak individual mandate and light penalties will drive costs higher; costs which will be borne by consumers and employers through higher insurance premiums.
AHRQ has released a survey of consumer attitudes about electronic health records and health IT. The people in these focus groups were less enthusiastic about the subject than many experts are.
The Congressional Budget Office has provided a revised estimate for savings from malpractice reform, showing greater and significant reductions both in total health spending and the federal deficit.
One way to address our health system challenges may be to change who delivers much of our medical care, creating less reliance on physicians, and to redesign how providers interact with patients and are paid for care.
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 [email protected].
© 2023 Healthy Skeptic.
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