A new Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality Statistical Brief decomposes the sources of inpatient hospital cost increases from 1997 to 2008, which is important to understand given that hospital spending is the single largest contributor to overall per capital health spending growth.
The Express Scripts 2011 Drug Trend Report shows very low overall growth in drug spending, but continued sharp increases in the specialty sub-category. The firm presents interesting information and evidence on approaches to increasing medication adherence.
A Medscape survey of physicians gives statistics on compensation and compensation trend and reveals doctors’ attitudes regarding their pay. While “healthy”, physician compensation is not generally lavish and growth in physician spending is not nearly the problem that growth in hospital costs are.
Summer is heating up and our Potpourri is smoking too, with nuggets on a silly provision in the final MLR rule; research on causes of readmissions, some within hospital control, some not; why are some hospitals more costly in treating heart failure than others and an unintended consequence of a change in dialysis drug reimbursement.
Research reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds that a comprehensive care management program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had excess mortality, to the point that the trial was stopped early. It seems unlikely that this was actually due to the trial.
Hospital unit prices appear to be the single largest cause of increased health spending, according to several lines of research. In a new report, the National Institute for Health Care Reform examines whether state rate regulation could help address the problem.
We are on the road, but our Potpourri remains, in this issue covering malpractice claims against doctors, wellness program outcomes, the effect of drinking coffee, do EHRs help improve care and a wellness survey of employers.
Another report that looks at specialty drug spending is issued by the Center for Studying Health System Change. Due to different characteristics of this category, the authors are pessimistic about near-term opportunities to limit spending growth.
I will be traveling the next two weeks so our posts will be less frequent. Todays focuses on workers’ compensation and reviews an annual report put out by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute, which summarizes its general role, as well as the specific research conducted in the last year.
Milliman tracks the average cost of health care for a family and issues an annual report. The 2012 version is out, showing that average family costs are over $20,000 for the first time. That reform law sure is working well to hold down costs.
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].
© 2024 Healthy Skeptic.
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