The Pew Internet project puts out its latest survey on mobile technology being used for health purposes. The survey indicates growing use of health apps and health information search capabilities, but with variable presence among demographic groups.
AHRQ released a report on high-cost hospitalizations, demonstrating the concentration of spending on a relatively few cases. The diagnoses are what would be expected and it is unclear how these hospitalizations might be avoided.
Is there anything scary about health care? Yes if you have to pay for it! Nothing scary about our Potpourri, just soothing health care nuggets, covering alternative therapies for back pain, CBO’s view on the reform law, peer interaction to help manage diabetes, diabetes prevalence, Massachusetts physician information, accountable care organizations, bias in clinical trial results and the effects of the health law on employer provided insurance.
CSC put out a White Paper on Health Information Requirements for Accountable Care which examines the necessary functions an effective ACO will have and what health information technology will be needed to support those functions.
The complexity and rate of change in health care sometimes makes spotting major trends difficult. One appears to be growth of home-based diagnostic and therapeutic care. An article in the New England Journal of Medicine discusses drivers for this trend.
The Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration spend a lot of money on health care and health information technology, sometimes earning kudos. But there are a lot of problems. The GAO puts out a report on DOD’s Electronic Health Record Initiative, which should make the agency blush with shame.
There is so much health spending in the United States that it is sometimes hard to isolate the big buckets. Nursing home residents have very high medical costs and many questionable hospitalizations. A KFF report examines reasons why.
Two papers discuss some of the costs and issues surrounding the impending implementation of the ICD-10 classification and coding system. When there are so many other health information system projects and requirements at the same time, this one will add a significant burden for payors and providers.
The leaves disappear from the trees but our Potpourri is eternal, this week entertaining you on projected drug spending next year, prescription abandonment rates, avoiding hospitalizations for home care patients, anticipating the effects of the health law on employer-provided health insurance, the NAIC’s final action on the MLR and hospitals views on their ability to achieve the meaningful use incentives.
Research reported in the NEJM looked at differences in quality of care for patients who either tested themselves at home or were tested in a clinic to guide the administration of warfarin, a blood thinning drug. The results indicate home testing is as good as clinic testing.
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].
© 2024 Healthy Skeptic.
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