Hopefully winter nears its end; it has been brutal where we are. This week's Potpourri may offer a little diversion, covering defensive medicine, a pediatric tele-consultation service, home stroke rehabilitation,…
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The latest Dartmouth Atlas work looks at variation in elective surgery rates in the context of patient involvement in decision-making. The report highlights differences in treatment for a number of…
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It is sometimes overlooked that one of the goals of a workers' compensation system should be to get employees back to work as soon as possible. A Rand brief looks…
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A new report from the Rand Corporation reviews various proposals for changing payment methods to providers. The researchers categorize payment reforms into 11 models and review appropriate performance measures for…
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The Medicare Advantage Stars program is reviewed in a Kaiser Family Foundation brief which discusses coming changes in the calculations and the current ratings and characteristics of a number of…
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A positively presidential set of health care data points for your edification in today's Potpourri, including examining correlations between hospital volume, quality and costs, improving quality program adherence, creating good…
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The leading reason advocates use for demanding universal coverage is that it will improve health and health outcomes for lower socioeconomic groups. New research from Canada indicates that this is…
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A BIO study looks at the success rates for pharmaceutical and biotech candidates over a multi-year period, finding a fairly low rate, which doesn't vary much by type of drug…
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Yet another study has emerged on the factors responsible for apparent variation in costs of treating Medicare patients, this one focused on the high-cost quartile of beneficiaries and finding that…
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A Towers Watson survey describes employee attitudes toward wellness programs and health engagement, with a surprising finding of declines in health as a priority and involvement in programs.
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The year wears on, winter hopefully draws to a close, and our Potpourri provides nutritious sustenance, this week featuring comparative effectiveness research and personalized medicine, two surveys on hospital progress…
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Personal health records are electronic medical records collected or maintained by patients. Health Affairs reports on a survey of physicians regarding their views on these records, finding interest in having…
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One interesting aspect of personalized medicine is the widespread ability of consumers to purchase somewhat inexpensive genome wide scanning for disease risk. New research evaluating the potential benefits or harms…
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Researchers writing in JAMA looked at whether the ownership type of a hospice appeared to be correlated with profit-maximizing behavior under Medicare's per diem payment scheme. They found only weak…
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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.
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