The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions releases the latest edition of its annual survey of consumers on health issues and health care use. Americans are anxious about the financial effects…
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The American Hospital Association weighs in on the hospital readmission reduction incentive program with a well-thought out program that identifies the complexities involved in identifying inappropriate readmissions and designing initiatives…
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The leaves fall but not the quality of our Potpourri, this week covering beneficiaries' use of Medicare Star ratings, quality of care guidelines and older patients, compassionate care, asthma care…
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The effect of telehealth tools on the health spending of Medicare beneficiaries with chronic disease has been controversial, with a number of studies finding no or very limited savings. New…
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End-of-life care is a significant contributor to overall health expenditures. New research in the Journal of the American Medical Association probes the effect of advance directives on end-of-life spending, with…
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Increasingly hospitals are being judged on their "quality" based on process and outcome measures and on their cost. New research examines the characteristics of hospitals which fall in various quartiles…
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A new paper discusses the state of shared decision-making, illuminating progress and barriers to use by patients and providers. This approach results in higher-quality care, because it is consistent with…
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In another piece of research related to hospital readmissions, the Dartmouth Atlas project released a report on variations in readmission patterns across the country and among academic medical centers. Possible…
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The final look at the Kaiser employer health benefit survey examines findings on prescription drug coverage, wellness programs, retiree health plans, funding mechanisms and the effect of health care reform.
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The second part of our review of the Kaiser employer health benefits survey discusses employee contributions to premiums and employee cost-sharing trends, along with developments in high-deductible plans with savings…
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