Medicare Advantage plans have lower rates of hospitalization than does the fee-for-service Medicare program, likely suggesting inefficiency in the FFS branch.
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As the year starts, the Altarum Institute's Briefs relating to health spending reveal steady and moderate health spending growth.
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A continuation of the review of the Express Scripts 2015 Drug Trend Report, with a focus on Medicare, Medicaid and exchange business.
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Express Scripts' 2015 Drug Trend Report reveals continued spending pressure from the drug category, especially branded medications, with more to come in future years.
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More shocking news on provider behavior--they respond to penalties for health care-acquired infections by changing the coding of certain events.
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A study in Population Health Management finds that a telephone-based chronic disease management program had significant net savings.
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Not many physician groups achieved extra payments in the first year of CMS' value-based purchasing program.
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A Health Affairs blog gives further evidence of the deleterious effect of provider consolidation on health care prices and spending.
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Research published in Health Affairs finds that retail clinics, while having lower unit costs for the services they offer, do not lower total health spending.
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A Health Affairs article reports that quality measure collection and reporting activities impose substantial costs on physician practices.
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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.