An analysis performed for CMS looks at the effect of narrower pharmacy networks with preferred providers for Part D plans, finding that generally these networks had lower spending.
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Whatever government reimbursement mechanism is used, the affected providers are likely to change behavior to maximize their economics, as reflected in an Office of Inspector General report on observational hospital stays.
The Journal of the American Medical Association carries a survey on how doctors in the United States view their role in controlling spending and gives their perspective on various approaches to limiting costs.
A study published in Health Affairs confirms earlier research suggesting that Medicare Advantage plans do a better job of delivering quality health care than does fee-for-service Medicare.
Hopefully, the recent Institute of Medicine final report on geographic variation in health spending will be near the last volley in this long-running, getting tiresome discussion of the existence, causes and solutions to this issue. The IOM finds that variation exists, but on a level too granular for a regional solution.
The Government Accounting Office issues a very disturbing report showing how billions of dollars are being wasted by the federal government on information technology projects. Several health projects feature prominently.
A new brief from Truven Health Analytics examines the leading drivers of spending in employer sponsored health plans.
Research in Health Affairs examines the early results from a series of studies of value-based insurance design, finding better quality but no significant savings.
Evidence is accumulating that Medicare Advantage plans do a better job than fee-for-service Medicare in controlling utilization and spending, while not adversely affecting quality outcomes, but there is substantial geographic variation in the performance of plans.
For a number of years CMS has conducted demonstrations and pilots with provider organizations similar to the current accountable care organization concept. Those demonstrations appear to have had mixed results, generally improving quality but not reducing spending by any significant amount.
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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