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 in implementing EHRs, a patient-centered vision of HIT, the validity of care guidelines, and the use of clinical decision support to control inappropriate imaging.
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 access to the information but almost no current use.
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 of these DTC tests finds not much impact either way.
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 evidence which could have other explanations.
One of the primary concerns regarding Medicare spending is the significant population bulge in the 45-64 bracket, a group that is beginning to become Medicare eligible. A CDC brief explores physician usage trends in this group and the over 65 set and looks at potential implications.
Another rendition of selections from the health literature, including advance directive issues; guideline problems; physician religious beliefs and end-of-life care; health information exchanges; the results of use of modified global payments with physicians and hospitals; and physician payment reform.
As would be expected, new research verifies that there are significant spending differences by age and by gender. The implications of this are unclear, particularly since the reform legislation limits how much insurance premiums can vary by these factors.
PWC issued a report assessing the status of innovation in medical devices, finding that the United States no longer has the lead in this area and that the types of devices currently being deemed “innovative” has changed.
An extensive review published in the Public Library of Science evaluates the evidence for health care safety and quality benefits from electronic health records, finding that there is a significant gap between what is claimed and what has been demonstrated.
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 [email protected].
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