A new report from America’s Health Insurance Plans exposes the unbelievable ripoff charges that many providers place on out-of-network services. Much of these charges is paid by the insured person. Where are the regulators now!!
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A draft working paper from the Federal Reserve Staff is the latest salvo in the ongoing exploration of any link between more health spending and better quality or vice versa. The paper suggests that geographic variation in spending is not likely highly correlated with quality.
Actuarial consultants Alvarez & Marsal issue a brief summarizing increasing issues with cost increases caused by hospital acquisition of physician practices and other outpatient services.
One primary purpose of quality reporting is to help consumers make informed decisions about where they get their care from or where they purchase insurance. Research in JAMA indicates there is a positive connection between CMS’ star ratings and beneficiary enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans.
The latest Pew Research survey relating to health care asks about how people track health matters and finds that relatively few use technology, even though easily available, for this purpose.
What is mHealth? And what impact will it have on health care? A new Deloitte Center for Health Solutions report attempts to provide answers and suggests that mHealth is transforming health care for the good. We’ll see.
The relationship between cost and quality is tricky in health care, as it is with many services and products. A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine conducts a meta-review of the research on the issue, finding very mixed and inconclusive results.
Do wellness programs improve quality and cost outcomes? Despite their popularity, from a research perspective the answer remains unclear, but a new review published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine takes a fresh look, which concludes that the evidence remains inconclusive.
At its annual meeting in January, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission explores issues regarding payment for various providers, beneficiary access to care and quality. This January’s presentation on physician issues has some interesting data.
An article by Rand Corp researchers published in Health Affairs indicates that electronic health records and other aspects of health information technology are not fulfilling their promise, whatever that was. The authors give reasons for the disappointing performance and suggest remedies.
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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