The Center for Public Integrity has pointed out what was an obvious unintended consequence of greater use of electronic health records–providers will use the additional clinical information to feed billing systems that use the data to maximize coding for reimbursement. Medicare is already feeling the effects and other payers are likely to do so also.
A study released by a private vendor evaluates wellness and benefit administration benchmarks in 2012.
With all the federal incentive money sloshing around, the health information technology market, especially for electronic medical records, has understandably been hot and there are many competitors all seeking revenue from that market. A recent Medscape survey identifies which EHR vendors seem to be making the most progress.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control updates information on rates of electronic health record adoption. Given the incentives from the federal government, adoption seems surprisingly slow and meaningful use lags even further behind. Most doctors report being satisfied with their system.
Research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research focuses on whether and why the use of online health applications improves patient empowerment and knowledge and if such improvement leads to better health outcomes.
Another wonderful Potpourri, as lovely as a summer day, with information on small physician practices, medication adherence in Medicaid, access to care in Massachusetts, plan loyalty and PHRs, a survey regarding onsite health centers and hospital productivity in Massachusetts after reform.
The length of the summer day begins to decline, but not the quality of our Potpourri, this week including patient decision-making, the effect of genetic tests on overall health care use, an employee survey on health benefits, the growing market power of hospital systems, making decision aids more user friendly and physician compensation.
At the height of the summer, with dryness across the land, there is no drought of information in our Potpourri, this week including use of an interactive health record to increase preventive care, Medicare and Medicaid geographical variation, shared decision-making, readmissions for heart attacks and Japan’s all-payer rate setting system.
Another excellent Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has been released, this one examining the state of health information technology that enables patient-centered care. The report summarizes evidence on the utility of HIT for improving care quality and barriers to its further spread.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has issued a report looking at use of clinical decision support and knowledge management systems, finding some evidence for positive health and cost outcomes, but also large gaps in our understanding of how to maximize the value of these technologies.
It is officially the start of summer and our Potpourri is hot, hot, hot, but not steamy! This week we cover why health care IT doesn’t seem to create productivity gains, the use of whole-genome sequencing, the consequences on failure to comply with prescribed drug regimens and the rates of drug misuse and the potential savings for patients in CDHP plans.
The American Medical Association regularly assesses the administrative performance of the large health plans on issues relevant to physicians. This year’s report finds significant improvement in claims payment procedures and results.
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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