In yet another piece evaluating the effectiveness to-date of pay-for-performance programs, Health Affairs carries a review of research on the topic, finding that results are mixed. Some seem to have improved quality, but others did not and providers caring for poorer and sicker patients may be disadvantaged.
A new report from the Urban Institute examines the controversial issue of the impact of the Patient Protection Act on businesses of various sizes, showing that for small businesses it may reduce cost, it likely increases the cost for mid-sized ones and is neutral to large companies.
More research, this time from the Journal of the American Medical Association, to suggest that another quality improvement technique, this time public reporting of outcomes, does not achieve the intended goals. In regard to heart attack patients receiving PCI, public reporting seems to lead to lower rates of the procedure and no change in mortality outcomes.
Research reported in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services program of not paying for certain hospital acquired infections is not working, to put it mildly. The program seems to have had absolutely no impact on the targeted infection rates.
It is cooling down across most of the country, but our Potpourri remains red-hot, with nuggets on the moderation in health spending over the last few years, how to change automatic health behaviors, EHRs and diabetes care, a medical home pilot in Colorado and an ACO demonstration in Maine.
PriceWaterhouseCooper publishes a report on the status of health insurance exchanges and issues which states and employers are considering as exchanges slowly lumber toward reality.
A new paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research explores whether increased cost-sharing in health care coverage has affected the productivity of employees subject to this greater out-of-pocket spending for health care. They find that workers with higher cost-sharing have more absenteeism but not more short-term disability stays.
Research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine examines the effects of allowing patients to read the notes written by physicians about their health and care. Patients generally seem to regard the practice very positively and it appears to have little negative impact on physician work processes.
An article and accompanying editorial in the Annals of Internal Medicine discuss the effect of non-payment for hospital-acquired catheter-linked urinary tract infections, finding that the underlying data is likely so inaccurate that the policy cannot work as intended.
Another luminescent Potpourri, focusing on the ACA’s high-risk pool plan; controlling health spending in Massachusetts; what components of EHRs and HIEs may control costs; another survey of employers and dealing with hospital pricing power.