Research in Health Affairs finds that Medicare hospice spending rose to almost $16 billion in 2015, up from $10.4 billion in 2007, and that this spending has significant geographic variation, suggesting an opportunity to ensure appropriate use of the setting.
Braincheck, a mobile app for evaluating brain health, has raised $3 million. Another example where the investors might have wanted to use the product before investing.
A study in Health Affairs confirms that using a limited provider network results in lower premiums, around 7% less on average, for plans on the health insurance exchanges, but many consumers are unaware of the consequences of a limited network, which may not include their usual providers, and that 7% doesn't seem like much in light of the horrendous premium rises expected for 2017.
As many would suspect, a study regarding prostate cancer in the journal Medical Care finds that compliance with process quality measures has no relationship to true outcomes such as complications and patient satisfaction and quality of life.
An analysis from Blues plans in Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Montana and New Mexico finds that high deductible plans reduce health spending by 9.2% over three years, on a pre and post high deductible plan enrollment basis. Little methodological information was given so hard to evaluate credibility of the study, but the results are consistent with other findings.
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that heart attack patients treated at hospitals with higher quality, according to mortality measures, lived about a year longer than patients treated at lower quality facilities.
Casamba, HealthWyse and TherapySource, all post-acute care software providers, are merging, with the new company to be called CasaWyseSource or WyseSambaTherapy or Wyseasarap, or something like that.
For the most significant outcomes, a recent study in NEJM finds no difference between bare metal and drug-eluting stents. Drug and device companies are really good at selling expensive products with no or marginal outcome improvements.
A study in NEJM finds that while ten-year mortality was similar for treatment or surveillance for prostate cancer, failure to treat led to more metastases and disease progression. Proponents of ending PSA screening and what they view as excessive diagnoses of prostate cancer may be happy, but for a few men, late diagnosis and/or surveillance just means worse disease and outcomes. The same approach is coming on mammograms.
A study published in the British Medical Journal finds that physicians' recommendations given closer to when a decision must be made are more likely to influence a patient to choose a course of action against the patient's own preferences. To ensure respect for patient preferences this suggests that doctors should give any recommendations early in the process.
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 khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.
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 khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.