The effect of telehealth tools on the health spending of Medicare beneficiaries with chronic disease has been controversial, with a number of studies finding no or very limited savings. New…
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End-of-life care is a significant contributor to overall health expenditures. New research in the Journal of the American Medical Association probes the effect of advance directives on end-of-life spending, with…
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Increasingly hospitals are being judged on their "quality" based on process and outcome measures and on their cost. New research examines the characteristics of hospitals which fall in various quartiles…
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A new paper discusses the state of shared decision-making, illuminating progress and barriers to use by patients and providers. This approach results in higher-quality care, because it is consistent with…
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The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute releases its most recent survey on prescription drug benefit design and cost issues. While drug spending growth has moderated, the size of the category means…
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October already!! Our 39th Potpourri of the year has many autumnal pleasures including selections on CMS' Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative, a proposed guidance for FDA to use for mHealth regulation,…
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In another piece of research related to hospital readmissions, the Dartmouth Atlas project released a report on variations in readmission patterns across the country and among academic medical centers. Possible…
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The final look at the Kaiser employer health benefit survey examines findings on prescription drug coverage, wellness programs, retiree health plans, funding mechanisms and the effect of health care reform.
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The second part of our review of the Kaiser employer health benefits survey discusses employee contributions to premiums and employee cost-sharing trends, along with developments in high-deductible plans with savings…
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