CVS Caremark is buying the home infusion of Apria Healthcare, Coram, for about $2.1 billion. This will make CVS the largest provider of home infusion and a bigger player in specialty drugs.
More trouble for the formulation of CMS' quality measures, as a University of Michigan study finds that that the data used by Medicare to compare hospitals on how well they do at preventing bedsores is seriously flawed and inaccurate, since in some cases it is based on claims data and in some cases on actual nurse bedside exams.
A study at Duke finds that an intervention to improve medication adherence by patients after a hospital stay did a good job at that but did not significantly affect readmissions.
The HHS Office of Inspector General releases its annual strategic plan, which is must reading for anyone involved with Medicare, Medicaid or other government programs. EHRs will be a focus of investigations.
According to a statement by the publicity department at CMS, Medicare beneficiaries saved about $3 billion in drug costs this year due to the reform law's gradual closing of the "donut" hole.
According to a Mercer survey of large employers, health care insurance costs per employee have risen 4.5% this year and the employers expect a larger increase next year.
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine surveys research on the effect of patient portals and finds little evidence that this form of communication between patients and doctors either improves quality or lowers costs, although patients do like using them.
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1770672
Nov272013
A study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research suggests that use of self-monitoring mobile phone app with daily text messages can help women and racial minorities lose weight.
http://www.jmir.org/2013/11/e244/
Nov272013
Aetna is acquiring the InterGlobal Group, which provides health care coverage for about 65,000 persons in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
According to a survey reported in VentureBeat, half of angel investors regret an investment they made, usually because of overly optimistic financial projections. Angel investing is important to innovation, as they put $20 billion into companies a year, so hopefully the disappointment doesn't lead to closed wallets.
In areas where Medicare Advantage payments are still high, patients can get high-end treatment from specialized clinics, as detailed in a Miami Herald story. Unfortunately, these clinics may add to the perception that MA plans are overpaid, even though they are doing an outstanding job for patients.
The FDA has ordered 23andMe to stop selling its personalized genetic testing kits direct to consumers, highlighting the tension between consumer access to their genetic information and the regulatory need to ensure accuracy of tests and govern how the data is interpreted and used.
A new survey from IDC Health Insights finds that 58% of outpatient providers are unhappy with their EHRs, many very dissatisfied, primarily because of a negative effect on productivity.
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.
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.