Malpractice reform is stymied at the federal level and state efforts appear to have run out of steam, despite the likelihood that reform would significantly reduce wasteful spending. New approaches…
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CMS' proposed rule and explanations for hospital payments for 2012 are lengthy but as usual give a great background on the issues that go into the payment elements. Hospital payments…
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A new report surveyed physician practices on their experience with eprescribing systems, finding that while use was increasing some features were not often accessed because of system design and information…
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A brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality looks at hospital charges in the United States, which accounted for 31% of total health care expenditures. Spending by payer…
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Another edition of the Potpourri focuses on CMS and telemedicine, informal caregiver stress, wellness program results, emergency room visits, happiness and suicide, and sources for consumer health information.
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New research examines the need to use care guidelines carefully, showing the danger of using generalized rules for all patients, and the benefit of tailoring those rules for individual circumstances.
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A Kaiser Family Foundation report analyzes health care spending across a number of nations, confirming that we spend a lot more than most developed countries and that our growth rate…
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Research published in JAMA examines the extent to which patients' health literacy is associated with heart failure outcomes, finding a connection in the case of all-cause mortality, but not with…
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A WSJ article examines the likelihood that the myriad of health care cost control measures embedded in the reform law will actually reduce costs, concluding that it is unlikely they…
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This week's Potpourri features highlights from some of the health companies' which have reported earnings, focusing on earnings call revelations, which are few and far between!
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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.