Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that having surgery for a knee meniscus tear has no better outcomes than fake surgery.
Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that severely obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery generally had significant weight loss in the three years following surgery, but other outcomes related to diabetes, blood pressure and lipids were more variable.
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1765797A new brief from the Center for Studying Health System Change examines why people with private health insurance use the emergency room.
An unusually detailed look at one medical specialty is presented in an American Society of Clinical Oncology report which gives a good perspective on issues and trends in clinical oncology.
Our latest Potpourri features the comparative cost of cancer care in the US and elsewhere, the effect of genomics on spending, international practice guidelines, state Medicaid waivers, unintended consequences from patient satisfaction efforts and county health rankings.
Another one of the concepts being counted on to help improve health care quality and lower costs in the wake of reform is the “medical home.” An AHRQ draft review finds little evidence on quality effects or cost savings, but also suggests there is promise in the approach.
The holiday season is in full swing, as is the time for bad weather, but nothing can deter the delivery of our Potpourri of health stories, including this week the nocebo effect, use of imaging when a financial interest in the equipment is present, broker commissions and the MLR, present-on-admission indicators, selecting patients for use in performance measuring, and physicians views of health insurers.
The cold is approaching so curl up on the sofa and enjoy the warmth of our Potpourri, this week featuring results from a pay-for-performance program, the effect of the health insurance tax on premiums and employment, the evidence for a stroke treatment, collaborative care for heart disease and physicians views on their practices and health information tools.
Another brilliant Potpourri, with scintillating health care gems, including revising the FDA’s 510(k) process, the essential benefits package for health exchanges, the future of Medicare Advantage, the lack of labor productivity in health care, variation in elective procedure rates and the OIG’s work plan.
Another Potpourri, with tidbits on the Medicare Star program results for 2012, pain management, blood pressure management, Massachusetts’ physicians’ views on work and health care, online error reporting and the FDA and CMS parallel medical device review process.
The medical home concept lumbers on, sometimes mixed in with the accountable care organization notion. The current status of the concept and issues affecting its ultimate impact are assessed in a new report from the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.