MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'categories'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:30:29 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181735&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F09%2F01%2Fimplementing-health-reform-association-health-plans%2F The Affordable Care Act comprehensively reforms health insurance in the United States.  Its central reform provisions apply to “a group health plan and health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage,” that is, to individual, small group, large group, and even self-insured coverage. In fact, however, the ACA does not cover all forms [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181735 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:35:54 +0100 5181735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181736&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F09%2F01%2Fberwick-to-keynote-health-affairs-briefing%2F Don Berwick, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will keynote Health Affairs’ September 8 briefing on controlling health care costs. At the briefing, Health Affairs will release its September 2011 issue, “The New Urgency To Lower Costs.” Topics to be discussed include chronic disease costs and opportunities for savings through prevention; who bears [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181736 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:09:50 +0100 5181736 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181737&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F31%2Fthe-challenges-of-payment-reform-and-administrative-simplification%2F As both a Canadian and an analyst who focuses on US healthcare, I have an abiding curiosity in comparisons between the US and Canadian systems, so it was with great interest that I read the recent Health Affairs article by Dante Morra and coauthors entitled “US Physician Practices Versus Canadians: Spending Nearly Four Times As Much Money [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181737 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:57:12 +0100 5181737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181738&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F30%2Fwhere-to-for-hospice%2F A column by New York Times columnist David Brooks titled “Death and Budgets,” read in combination with a recent report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“Medicare Hospices that Focus on Nursing Facility Residents”), makes painfully clear how urgently America must rethink the way [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181738 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:02:55 +0100 5181738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174586&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F29%2Faco-101-the-basics-of-accountable-care%2F Regarding the subject of “health care reform” during the past year, it is certain that more has been written about, more conferences have been devoted to, and more consultants have been engaged for the topic of “accountable care organizations” (ACOs) than any other.  ACOs are in the spotlight both because of several provisions in the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174586 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:51:11 +0100 5174586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174587&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F26%2Fthe-cost-of-medicare-you-get-what-you-pay-for%2F In the battle over bending the cost curve in Medicare, a recent article in Health Affairs should set off alarms.  In it, Francis Lukas and colleagues describe the proliferation of new cardiac surgery programs—300 in 10 years–at exactly the same time that the number of cardiac bypass grafts fell.  Moreover, the new programs generally did [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174587 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:11:24 +0100 5174587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158920&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F25%2Frisk-shifting-in-health-care-and-its-implications-part-two%2F Yesterday, in the first installment of a two-part Health Affairs Blog post, Troyen Brennan and Thomas Lee discussed the shifting of risk they see taking place in the health care system, from insurers and employers to provider and patients. In part two below, Brennan and Lee discuss the implications of this shift for various health [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158920 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:02:47 +0100 5158920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158922&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F24%2Frisk-shifting-in-health-care-and-its-implications-part-one%2F Editor’s Note: Below, in the first installment of a two-part Health Affairs Blog post, Troyen Brennan and Thomas Lee discuss the shifting of risk they see taking place in the health care system, from insurers and employers to provider and patients. In part two tomorrow, Brennan and Lee will discuss the implications of this shift [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158922 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:50:18 +0100 5158922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158923&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F19%2Ftoo-many-medicare-advantage-choices-can-decrease-enrollment%2F A new Health Affairs Web First study finds that increased choice among Medicare Advantage plans leads to increased enrollment in the program among elderly Americans, but only when beneficiaries are choosing among 15 or fewer plans. When Medicare beneficiaries have a choice of 15 to 30 private plans, increased choice does not result in increased Medicare Advantage [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158923 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:20:41 +0100 5158923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139672&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2Fimplementing-health-reform-informing-consumers%2F One of the most important innovations of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is that it dramatically increases and improves the information that consumers have available about health insurance and health care.  HHS has already implemented provisions of the ACA requiring insurers to disclose information regarding their medical loss ratios and to publicly justify unreasonable rate [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139672 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:49:06 +0100 5139672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139673&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F17%2Fnarrative-matters-eleanor-clift-on-her-husbands-death-and-end-of-life-issues%2F In the newest Health Affairs Narrative Matters essay, prominent journalist Eleanor Clift writes about her husband Tom Brazaitis and his death from metastatic cancer at age 64. Clift describes the multiple ways in which she and her husband benefited from hospice care, in which Brazaitis spent the last four months of his life. Clift uses [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139673 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:19:54 +0100 5139673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139674&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F16%2Fthe-legal-battle-over-health-reform-analyzing-the-11th-circuit-opinions%2F Editor’s Note: Below, William Sage analyzes Friday’s federal appellate court decision regarding the Affordable Care Act. See Timothy Jost’s earlier post for more on this decision. On August 12, a divided three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled in State of Florida v. Sibelius that the individual mandate contained [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139674 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:40:18 +0100 5139674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130719&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fappellate-court-individual-mandate-falls-but-rest-of-affordable-care-act-survives%2F Editor’s Note: Below, Tim Jost analyzes Friday’s appellate decision regarding the Affordable Care Act. Watch for more coverage of this decision and its significance on Health Affairs Blog. One August 12, 2011, in a case brought by 26 states and various private parties, the Eleventh Circuit Federal Court of Appeals handed down the first federal [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130719 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:20:51 +0100 5130719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130720&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F13%2Fimplementing-health-reform-medicaid-and-exchange-eligibility-determinations%2F On August 12, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services issued two notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRMs) in its ongoing efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The first addresses eligibility for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) after the 2014 implementation of the ACA Medicaid expansions.  The second governs eligibility [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130720 Sat, 13 Aug 2011 23:44:42 +0100 5130720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130721&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F13%2Fimplementing-health-reform-premium-tax-credits%2F On August 12, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Treasury (Internal Revenue Service) issued three notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) as part of their continuing effort to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The proposed rules will be formally published in the Federal Register on August 17 for comment. One NPRM issued by [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130721 Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:57:55 +0100 5130721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125708&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F12%2Fthe-coming-transformation-of-public-addiction-treatment%2F Provisions of the Affordable Care Act and other recent legislative changes will transform public substance abuse treatment in the United States, substantially increasing the funding, expanding access to care, and better integrating it with other health services. That’s the conclusion of an article by Jeffrey Buck, senior advisor for behavioral health in the Center for [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125708 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:10:57 +0100 5125708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118590&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F11%2Fhealth-spending-projection-spin-cycle-rinse-and-repeat-or-reset%2F One of the annual rituals of Washington’s health policy calendar involves the release of projections for the next ten years of national health spending by actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It then is followed immediately by desperate efforts by various interest groups and advocacy “analysts” to spin the new numbers [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118590 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:41:21 +0100 5118590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118591&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-confronting-costs%2F On September 8, Health Affairs will release its September 2011 issue, “Confronting Costs.” The issue explores the third element of the famed Three-Part Aim for health care: namely, the objective of lowering costs. Topics to be discussed include chronic disease costs and opportunities for savings through prevention; who bears the burden of health costs; the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118591 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:36:17 +0100 5118591 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118592&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F09%2Fa-legal-challenge-to-cms-reliance-on-the-ruc%2F This week in a Maryland federal court, six physicians based at the Center for Primary Care in Augusta, GA filed suit against HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and CMS Administrator Donald Berwick. The complaint, spearheaded by Paul Fischer MD with DC-based lead counsel Kathleen Behan, alleges that the doctors have been harmed by the Medicare payment [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118592 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:28:22 +0100 5118592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118593&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F09%2Fis-medicare-more-efficient-than-private-insurance%2F Of all the issues bandied about in the recent debate over the debt ceiling, none generated more contention, more TV ads and more unseemly rhetoric than potential changes to Medicare. Health economists generally believe that Medicare is on an unsustainable course and is desperately in need of reform. Yet public opinion polls show that most [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118593 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:53:05 +0100 5118593 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107477&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F09%2Fjulys-most-read-ha-blog-posts%2F Timothy Jost’s series of posts on proposed new federal rules for state health insurance exchanges leads July’s list of most-read Health Affairs Blog posts. Jon Kingsdale’s article on Massachusetts’ efforts to control health care costs is also featured on the list, as are Jeff Goldsmith’s discussion of the effect of health reform on employer-based health [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107477 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:44:43 +0100 5107477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107478&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F08%2Fpatients-getting-antidepressants-more-often-from-nonpsychiatrists-without-psychiatric-diagnoses%2F More doctors who aren’t psychiatrists are offering antidepressants to patients, making these drugs the third most commonly prescribed group of medications in the United States, according to a study in the August issue of Health Affairs. A look at twelve-year trends shows that the percentage of visits in which antidepressants were prescribed to patients by [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107478 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:41:29 +0100 5107478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103323&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F05%2Fnew-health-affairs-u-s-docs-spend-four-times-more-on-payer-interactions-than-canadians%2F U.S. physician practices spend nearly four times as much per physician as doctors in Ontario dealing with health insurers and payers, says a new study in the August issue of Health Affairs, released yesterday. Most of the difference stems from the fact that Canadian physicians deal with a single payer, in contrast to the multiple [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103323 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:36:24 +0100 5103323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103324&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F05%2Fa-heat-wave-health-wonk-review%2F Over at Managed Care Matters, Joe Paduda presents the Health Policy Heat Wave edition of the Health Wonk Review: The weather is hot these days, and so is health policy. Joe presents a great collection of health policy blogging, including Jeff Goldsmith’s Health Affairs Blog post on the impact of health reform on employer-based coverage. [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103324 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:24:36 +0100 5103324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096146&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F04%2Fdeficit-and-debt-politics-a-wake-up-call-for-the-health-care-industry%2F Editor’s Note: Below, Jonathan Oberlander analyzes the implications of the recently enacted agreement to increase the nation’s debt ceiling. See also Joe Antos’ analysis of the same topic on Health Affairs Blog. The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) called for significant Medicare savings.  All told, the Congressional Budget Office projected that the law would trim [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096146 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:22:41 +0100 5096146 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096147&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F02%2Fthe-debt-ceiling-deal-kicking-the-can-down-the-road%2F Editor’s Note: Below, Joseph Antos provides his take on Budget Control Act of 2011, which embodies the deal reached by President Obama and congressional leaders to increase the nation’s debt ceiling. See also Jonathan Oberlander’s post on the same topic. Congressional leaders and the President have come to agreement on a deal to increase the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096147 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:02:45 +0100 5096147 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086132&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2F01%2Frethinking-the-value-of-medical-services%2F One of American politics’ most disingenuous conceits is that health care must cost what we currently pay. Another is that the only way to make it cost less is to deny care. It has been in industry executives’ financial interests to perpetuate these myths, but most will acknowledge privately that the way we value and [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086132 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:08:54 +0100 5086132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077641&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F29%2Fa-call-for-physicians-to-contribute-to-solutions-not-costs%2F  It’s time for America’s physicians, particularly its highly paid procedural specialists, to make a choice.  Are we primarily businessmen with a keen eye on the financial bottom line, or are we above all professionals, well versed in the healing arts and dedicated to our patients’ care, regardless of their circumstances?  America’s medical system is breaking [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077641 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:11:18 +0100 5077641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077642&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F28%2Fu-s-health-spending-projected-to-grow-5-8-percent-annually%2F All health care spending in the United States is projected to grow at an annual average rate of 5.8 percent for the period 2010 through 2020, 1.1 percentage points faster than expected growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By 2020, health care spending is projected to be 19.8 percent of GDP, nearly one-fifth of economic [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077642 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:48:45 +0100 5077642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069421&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F27%2Fthe-beacon-communities-at-one-year-the-mississippi-delta-experience%2F The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the fifth in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities discuss their [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069421 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:59:24 +0100 5069421 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069422&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F26%2Fnarrative-matters-reporting-child-abuse%2F In the newest Health Affairs Narrative Matters essay, a seventeen-year-old West African immigrant who’s off to college says her facial bruising was inflicted by her father, and a young pediatrician learns about — and rethinks — the process of reporting child abuse and working with Child Protective Services. The essay, “Oh, My Father Hit Me,” [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069422 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:47:34 +0100 5069422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062213&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F25%2Fha-blog-posts-on-exchange-regs-highlighted-in-health-wonk-review%2F Check out Julie Ferguson’s “Heatwave” edition of the Health Wonk Review at Workers’ Comp Insider. Julie presents a great selection of health policy blogging, including Tim Jost’s Health Affairs Blog series on proposed new regulations on state health insurance exchanges. Copyright © 2011 Health Affairs Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. All [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062213 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:11:25 +0100 5062213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057708&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F22%2Fletting-go-of-employer-based-health-insurance%2F Other than the egg-laying exercise surrounding the ACO regulations, 2011 was a quiet year among Washington health policy experts until June 6 when McKinsey released the results of a survey of employer plans under the Affordable Care Act. The McKinsey study found that roughly 30 percent of employers were considering dropping their employee insurance coverage [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057708 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:16:37 +0100 5057708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057709&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F22%2Fincreased-spending-by-local-public-health-agencies-pays-off%2F A new study, released online July 21 as a Web First by Health Affairs, finds that increased public health investments can produce measureable health improvements. The study, which will also appear in the journal’s August issue, analyzed changes in spending patterns and mortality rates within the service areas of nearly three thousand local public health [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057709 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:05:52 +0100 5057709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057710&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F22%2Fassessing-the-gang-of-six-deficit-reduction-plan%2F The “Bipartisan Plan to Reduce our Nation’s Deficits” developed by the “Gang of Six (or Seven)”, a group of Senators from both parties, certainly is not something I would brag about before a group of Princeton students who, I routinely tell them, will have to grow up quickly to clean up the mess their parents [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057710 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:12:16 +0100 5057710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050499&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F21%2Flarsen-praises-state-progress-on-exchanges-at-ha-newsmaker-breakfast%2F States are making progress in varied ways toward creating the health insurance exchanges provided for in the Affordable Care Act, a senior official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said at a Health Affairs Newsmaker breakfast this morning. The state exchanges, which must be up and running by January 1, 2014, will provide [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050499 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:40:00 +0100 5050499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050500&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F21%2Fthe-womens-preventive-services-report-and-the-role-of-evidence%2F Section 1001 of the Affordable Care Act establishes women’s preventive health benefits as a new mandatory coverage class for all insurance products sold in the individual and group markets, self insured employer-sponsored health plans, and benchmark plans enrolling newly eligible Medicaid beneficiaries.  In implementing the Act in accordance with the tight deadlines established under the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050500 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:59:57 +0100 5050500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050501&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F20%2Fwere-only-human-behavioral-economics-and-british-policy-part-2%2F Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a two-part post discussing behavioral economics and how it is being used by British policymakers. Part 1 focused mostly on the development and general principles of behavioral economics. Part 2 below discusses some of the ways British policymakers are seeking to use insights from behavioral economics. Behavioural [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050501 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:22:24 +0100 5050501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050502&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F20%2Fbringing-diabetes-prevention-to-national-scale%2F The burden imposed on our society by type 2 diabetes mellitus has grown dramatically over the last decade.  Greater numbers of people than ever before are being diagnosed with diabetes at younger ages.  These people and their families must face the spectrum of implications brought on by diabetes, including its many associated medical complications. The [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050502 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:43:24 +0100 5050502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050503&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F19%2Fgang-of-six-presents-plan-to-save-3-7-trillion%2F As has been widely reported, the bipartisan group of Senators known as the “Gang of Six” today unveiled a long awaited framework to reduce the nation’s projected debt by $3.7 trillion over ten years. The plan presented by the group — which includes Democrats Conrad (ND), Durbin (IL), and Warner (VA) and Republicans Chambliss (GA), [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050503 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:34:46 +0100 5050503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050504&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F19%2Fwere-only-human-behavioral-economics-and-british-policy-part-1%2F Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part post discussing behavioral economics and how it is being used by British policymakers. Part 1 below focuses mostly on the development and general principles of behavioral economics. Part 2, which discusses some of the ways British policymakers are seeking to use insights from behavioral economics, will [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050504 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:14:26 +0100 5050504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050505&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F19%2Fimplementing-health-reform-insurance-cooperatives%2F The exchange and the reinsurance, risk adjustment, and risk corridor (3R) proposed regulations released by HHS on July 11 were only the first two in a series of exchange-related notices of proposed rulemakings (NPRMs) that will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months.  A third NPRM dealing with the Consumer Operated and Oriented [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050505 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:03:42 +0100 5050505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050506&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F18%2Fpatient-advocates-flies-in-the-ointment-of-evidence-based-care%2F The women recounted how their lives had been saved as they pleaded for the Food and Drug Administration not to withdraw approval for Avastin as a treatment for advanced breast cancer. They did so even without evidence that it provides benefit and with evidence that it confers risks. Their efforts were ultimately not successful: the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050506 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:07:44 +0100 5050506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036215&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F15%2Fthe-insurance-exchanges-open-enrollment-and-switching-plans%2F The Department of Health and Human Services released proposed regulations this week on the new health insurance exchanges that the Affordable Care Act will set up.  While they don’t address all of the important policy issues related to how these new entities will work, they do lay out when people can sign up for exchange [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036215 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:03:50 +0100 5036215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028116&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F14%2Flow-income-patients-in-california-experiences-and-expectations%2F Editor’s Note: Another Health Affairs Blog post published today also discusses the California health care system and how the Affordable Care Act will affect the way the state meets the needs of low-income patients. Many low-income patients have had little or no choice about where they obtain health care. But this will change when the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028116 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:24:00 +0100 5028116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028117&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F14%2Fmedicaid-expansion-and-reform-hopes-and-lessons-from-california%2F Editor’s note: In addition to Autumn Kieber-Emmons (photo and bio above), this post is coauthored by Tom Bodenheimer and Kevin Grumbach. Bodenheimer is Professor of Family and Community Medicine at University of California, San Francisco. Grumbach is Professor and Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF and Chief of Family and [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028117 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:21:45 +0100 5028117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028118&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F13%2Fimplementing-health-reform-health-insurance-exchanges-part-3%2F Editor’s Note: Below, Timothy Jost continues his Health Affairs Blog series analyzing regulations implementing the Affordable Care Act. Health Affairs Blog will also offer additional perspectives on the newly released regulations governing the state health insurance exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act. Although the proposed exchange rule released by HHS on July 12 was [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028118 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:03:23 +0100 5028118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028119&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F12%2Fimplementing-health-reform-health-insurance-exchanges-part-2%2F Editor’s Note: Below, Timothy Jost continues his Health Affairs Blog series analyzing regulations implementing the Affordable Care Act. Health Affairs Blog will also offer additional perspectives on the newly released regulations governing the state health insurance exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act. This is the second part of a three part analysis of the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028119 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:18:05 +0100 5028119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028120&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F12%2Fimplementing-health-reform-health-insurance-exchanges%2F Editor’s Note: Below, Timothy Jost continues his Health Affairs Blog series analyzing regulations implementing the Affordable Care Act. Health Affairs Blog will also offer additional perspectives on the newly released regulations governing the state health insurance exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act. Yesterday, on July 11, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028120 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:29:45 +0100 5028120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028121&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F11%2Fnew-health-policy-brief-legal-challenges-to-the-affordable-care-act%2F A new Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines the issues inherent in the lawsuits filed by state governments, organizations, and private citizens challenging the Affordable Care Act. To date, about 30 legal challenges have been filed. Federal District Court decisions have been split, with four judges ruling that the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028121 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:51:20 +0100 5028121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008112&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F08%2Fchallenges-for-hospitals-payment-readmissions-governance-and-access%2F Four papers in the newly released July 2011 issue of Health Affairs examine key topics for hospitals, including the extent to which hospitals “cost shift” to private payers; the success of efforts to reduce avoidable rehospitalizations; new responsibilities for hospital boards of trustees as a consequence of the Affordable Care Act; and expanding access to [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008112 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:07:18 +0100 5008112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008113&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F07%2Fmedicaid-spending-variations-driven-more-by-volume-than-price-says-study-in-new-health-affairs%2F The first study of its kind to examine regional and state differences in Medicaid spending shows that there is wide variation in spending per beneficiary, and that some large states are spending more than twice as much per beneficiary as other states of similar size. What’s more, some of the interstate variation in Medicaid spending [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008113 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:13:01 +0100 5008113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008114&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F06%2Fhypercostitis-political-theater-in-massachusetts%2F The Play’s the Thing. America boasts the highest health care costs on God’s green earth, and Massachusetts spends more per capita than any other state. Some might say we have a problem. On June 30th, Massachusetts completed four days of hearings on run-away medical costs — what drives them and how to rein them in. [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008114 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:35:34 +0100 5008114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008115&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F05%2Fjosts-look-at-court-fight-over-reform-tops-ha-blogs-june-most-read-list%2F Tim Jost’s analysis of crucial appellate arguments over the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act leads June’s list of most-read Health Affairs Blog posts. Jost examines the arguments before the federal Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in a challenge to the legislation brought by more than half the states and the National Federation of Independent [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008115 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:31:47 +0100 5008115 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992644&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F01%2Fhealth-affairs-systems-innovations-briefing-reminder-and-time-change%2F On July 7, 2011, Health Affairs will unveil its July 2011 issue, “New Directions In Systems Innovations.” The issue explores ongoing innovations in health care organization, delivery and financing across a broad front – from Vermont’s recent passage of single payer legislation, to new responsibilities for hospital boards of trustees as a consequence of the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992644 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:43:20 +0100 4992644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992645&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2F01%2Fsmaller-practices-and-the-patient-centered-medical-home%2F A new national study of small and medium-size physician practices shows that this group is not using many of the organized care processes of the patient-centered medical home model of health system reform included in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The study by Diane Rittenhouse of the University of California-San Francisco and coauthors was [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992645 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:13:35 +0100 4992645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984408&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F30%2Fin-first-appellate-case-a-significant-victory-for-the-affordable-care-act%2F On June 29, 2011, the Sixth Circuit federal court of appeals held that Congress has the power under the Constitution to adopt the minimum coverage requirement of the Affordable Care Act. The decision in Thomas More Law Center v. Obama is very significant for several reasons.  First, it is the first ruling by a federal [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984408 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:22:04 +0100 4984408 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984409&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F29%2Fback-from-the-brink-but-still-waiting-for-ptsd-benefits%2F On Monday, the federal government and the nation marked Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day. In a statement noting the occasion, Health And Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said: “We have a responsibility to help Americans who have lived through trauma, especially our nation’s service men and women who may be dealing with PTSD.  We [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984409 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:26:20 +0100 4984409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984410&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F29%2Fa-patient-advocate-perspective-on-acos%2F The pace at which articles have been written about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) has been nothing short of frenetic. It appears every possible healthcare stakeholder has shared ideas regarding how the Shared Savings Program in general, and ACOs in particular should be structured. The breath of perspectives has likewise been astounding.  Organizations with only a [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984410 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:11:32 +0100 4984410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975811&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F28%2Fmichelle-obamas-lets-move-is-losing-its-footing%2F First Lady Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign, launched on February 9, 2010, initially closely fit what obesity research data calls for, with its focus on children and its attention to exercise and better eating (rather than dieting), including its very title, “Let’s Move.”  At the launch, the first lady announced four major areas of focus: providing [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975811 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:05:47 +0100 4975811 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975812&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F27%2Fnew-cardiac-surgery-programs-improving-access-or-duplicating-services%2F With cardiac services contributing 25 to 40 percent of a hospital’s net revenues, do new cardiac surgery programs improve access or exacerbate the duplication of services? To answer this question, the authors of a new Health Affairs Web First article published June 23 examined Medicare claims data to identify where new cardiac surgery programs were [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975812 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:35:27 +0100 4975812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975813&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F27%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-new-directions-in-systems-innovation%2F On July 7, 2011, Health Affairs will unveil its July 2011 issue, “New Directions In Systems Innovations.” The issue explores ongoing innovations in health care organization, delivery and financing across a broad front – from Vermont’s recent passage of single payer legislation, to new responsibilities for hospital boards of trustees as a consequence of the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975813 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:36:16 +0100 4975813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975814&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F27%2Fthe-latest-health-wonk-review-5%2F The latest Health Wonk Review is available at Boston Health News. Tinker Ready presents a great collection of some of the most interesting health policy blogging of the last couple of weeks, including Joe White’s Health Affairs Blog post on the merits — and demerits — of the now ubiquitous phrase “bending the cost curve.” [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975814 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:14:51 +0100 4975814 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968442&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F24%2Festablishing-sensible-cost-sharing-for-medicare-cancer-patients%2F A new study by Avalere Health, presented at the recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, analyzed the pharmacy claims of 10,508 commercially-insured and Medicare patients who required oral therapy for cancer. The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of cost-sharing on the abandonment of these medications. The analysis showed [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968442 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:19:10 +0100 4968442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968443&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F23%2Fobesity-epidemic-may-make-mortality-gains-short-lived%2F For those who assume that the next generation of Americans will live longer than their parents, a new “three-dimensional” method of forecasting vital health statistics shows how this may not prove to be the case. Most Americans enjoy better health today than in the past, with significant declines in death rates from the top three [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968443 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:49:38 +0100 4968443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968444&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F23%2Fan-aco-is-born-in-camden-but-can-it-flourish-in-medicaid%2F Across the country, policy experts are heralding accountable care organizations (ACOs) as the way to rethink the delivery of higher quality and more efficient care. Yet Medicaid, which cares for many of the nation’s sickest and highest-cost patients, has been largely absent from the ACO conversation. Now that the June 6 deadline for comments to [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968444 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:41:08 +0100 4968444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968445&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F23%2Fimplementing-health-reform-the-appeals-process-amended-rule%2F Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series of posts by Timothy Jost on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.  Earlier posts have analyzed some important guidances, as well as provisions governing state waiver requests, student health plans, premium review (proposed rule and final rule), medical loss ratios, insurance exchanges, coverage for pre-existing conditions, appeals [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968445 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:32:42 +0100 4968445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960013&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F22%2Fa-physician-fallow-program-to-improve-quality-safety-and-costs%2F In a recent New York Times op-ed, Rita Redberg MD, a cardiologist and Chief Editor of Archives of Internal Medicine, described the American health system’s penchant for delivering high volumes of “procedures and devices [to] patients who get no benefit and incur risks from them.” The culprit, of course, is fee-for-service reimbursement, used by Medicare, Medicaid and commercial [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960013 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:12:02 +0100 4960013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952775&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F21%2Fsetting-the-record-straight-on-drug-shortages%2F John Goodman of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) says in a June 8 Health Affairs Blog entry that the Public Health Service 340B drug discount program is part of a “web of [federal] regulations that are preventing life saving drugs from reaching the patients who need them.” More specifically, he says that the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952775 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:15:59 +0100 4952775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952776&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F20%2Fbriefing-patient-perspectives-on-californias-safety-net%2F The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will change the health care landscape for all safety net providers and those they serve.  Blue Shield of California Foundation and Health Affairs are pleased to present results from a new poll by Langer Research Associates identifying the perspectives that low-income Californians have on their healthcare – [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952776 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:03:33 +0100 4952776 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952777&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F17%2Fthe-mixed-demerits-of-bending-the-cost-curve%2F Political scientists emphasize the importance of “framing” in policy debates.  The health care cost control debate in the United States has been reframed by the promotion of a metaphor, “bending the curve.”  This metaphor has merits but they are decidedly mixed. The sudden popularity of the idea of “bending the cost curve” is significant because [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952777 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:41:22 +0100 4952777 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934070&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F16%2Fu-s-approves-cancer-drugs-faster-than-europe%2F The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is often criticized as inefficient compared to its European counterpart, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), particularly in the field of oncology. However, a new study published online today by Health Affairs suggests otherwise: For new oncology drugs between 2003 and 2010, the median time for FDA approval was [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934070 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:57:35 +0100 4934070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934071&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F16%2Fhealth-policy-brief-medicare-advantage%2F A new Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation describes the provision in the Affordable Care Act of 2010 that will gradually reduce federal payments to the Medicare Advantage program. Roughly one in four of the nation’s 47 million Medicare beneficiaries currently participate in Medicare Advantage. These are private health [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934071 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:00:56 +0100 4934071 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934072&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F15%2Fthe-latest-health-wonk-review-4%2F Here’s a belated shout-out to the most recent edition of the Health Wonk Review. Matthew Holt and John Irvine of The Health Care Blog do a good job of presenting an interesting collection of health policy blogging. Copyright © 2011 Health Affairs Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. All material published on [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934072 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:14:38 +0100 4934072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934073&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F14%2Fstates-and-health-it-upcoming-conference%2F As mentioned before on this blog, Health Affairs is the official media sponsor for the upcoming 2011 State Healthcare IT Connect Summit, June 21-23 in Dulles, Virginia. If you are interested in the conference but can’t attend in person, you can participate via live Webcast. This option, which is complimentary for government participants and costs [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934073 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 20:55:31 +0100 4934073 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934074&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F14%2Fthe-decade-of-vaccines-promise-and-challenge%2F Vaccinating children around the world against infectious diseases has saved the lives of millions over the past several decades. Now new opportunities exist to overcome remaining challenges, according to articles in the June 2011 issue of Health Affairs, Strategies For The Global ‘Decade Of Vaccines, published June 9. The new Health Affairs volume explores the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934074 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:31:17 +0100 4934074 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934075&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F13%2Fremembering-barbara-starfield-a-primary-care-champion%2F Barbara Starfield, a seminal figure in the health services research community who made landmark contributions in primary care and other areas, died suddenly on Friday, June 10, of an apparent heart attack. Health Affairs extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Dr. Starfield. To help honor Dr. Starfield’s career, Health Affairs is [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934075 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:02:42 +0100 4934075 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921368&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F10%2Fhealth-affairs-requests-abstracts-for-diabetes-issue%2F Health Affairs plans a thematic issue on the U.S. and global imperative to stem the growing burden of diabetes, which is among the top contributors to the international epidemic of noncommunicable disease. As part of our development process for this issue, which is scheduled to be published in early January 2012, we are issuing a [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921368 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:43:12 +0100 4921368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921369&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F10%2Fmost-kids-vaccinated-but-some-parents-still-worry%2F Most children in the United States are getting regularly scheduled immunizations for infant and childhood diseases. But a new survey shows that some parents remain unpersuaded that all vaccines are safe or even necessary. The survey was published yesterday in the June issue of Health Affairs, a thematic volume titled “Strategies For The ‘Decade Of [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921369 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:14:53 +0100 4921369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921370&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F09%2Fanalyzing-a-crucial-battle-in-the-legal-war-over-health-reform%2F For a lawyer, the argument of Florida v. the Department of Health and Human Services before a three judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Federal Court of Appeals on Wednesday, June 8, was a beauty to behold.  (For a non-lawyer it was probably tedious, repetitive, and much too long).  Three active and very well-prepared judges [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921370 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:44:03 +0100 4921370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921371&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F09%2Fin-new-health-affairs-measuring-the-benefits-of-boosting-childhood-vaccines%2F Two new studies published today in the June issue of Health Affairs project huge benefits from a major ramp-up of vaccine development and delivery over the next 10 years in 72 countries. The studies, both from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, find that boosting vaccine coverage could prevent the deaths of 6.4 million children, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921371 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:12:44 +0100 4921371 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911438&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F08%2Frx-drug-shortages-regulation-can-be-deadly%2F Cass Sunstein, President Obama’s regulatory czar, announced last week that the administration intends to repeal cost-increasing, unnecessary regulations from 30 different agencies. If the administration is serious in this effort, a good place to start is with a web of regulations that are preventing life saving drugs from reaching the patients who need them. Doctors [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911438 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:35:46 +0100 4911438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911439&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F08%2Fha-vaccine-briefing-tomorrow-available-live-on-web%2F Tomorrow, Thursday June 9, at 8:30 AM at the W Hotel in Washington DC, Health Affairs will hold a briefing in conjunction with the release of its June 2011 issue, “Strategies For The ’Decade of Vaccines.’” A complete line-up of speakers and other details are available here. If you want to attend the briefing, you can RSVP [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911439 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:17:12 +0100 4911439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911440&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F07%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-reminder-strategies-for-the-global-decade-of-vaccines%2F Immunizing the world’s children against infectious diseases has dramatically cut childhood death and suffering in recent decades.  In 2010, philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates called for a new “Decade of Vaccines” to vault the progress dramatically forward. The June 2011 issue of Health Affairs, sponsored by the Gates Foundation, examines the strategies that will be [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911440 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:00:53 +0100 4911440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902396&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F06%2Fsaving-the-shared-savings-program-acos-part-three-quality-payment-and-data-issues%2F Editor’s Note: This is the third and last installment of a series of blog posts by Ron Klar offering suggestions on how to make the Medicare Shared Savings Program a more viable vehicle for the creation of accountable care organizations. You can read the first installment here and the second installment here. In this posting I will [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902396 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:03:30 +0100 4902396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893368&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2Fpost-on-health-reform-and-medicare-tops-mays-ha-blog-most-read-list%2F Thomas Saving’s and John Goodman’s post on the implications of the Affordable Care Act for Medicare leads the list of most-read Health Affairs Blog posts for May. On the list as well are posts on the hazards of ignoring the lessons of the Clinton years; the opportunities offered by clinical registries; and the implications of [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893368 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:40:41 +0100 4893368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893370&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2Fsuccess-factors-for-creating-accountable-care-organizations%2F Healthcare organizations across the country are learning how to adapt to the concept of an Accountable Care Organization (ACO). Having been closely involved in Intermountain Healthcare’s evolution as a prototype ACO, we offer our experience in making that transition. Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit, integrated, healthcare system serving Utah and southern Idaho. With 23 hospitals, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893370 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:15:06 +0100 4893370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893371&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F02%2Fcreating-value-based-incentives-for-primary-care%2F In a remarkable recent interview, Donald Berwick MD, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), eloquently described his vision of value-based health care. Paying for value is an incentive…The underlying idea of improvement is that American health care, historically built in fragments, often cannot achieve for patients what it really wants to [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893371 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:25:08 +0100 4893371 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893372&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F01%2Fsen-menendez-no-way-to-make-medicare-premium-support-acceptable%2F Here’s a brief Q&A between Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Health Affairs Blog. It took place earlier this afternoon during a press call by Senator Menendez, which was coordinated by the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). In the exchange, Senator Menendez rules out any reform that turns Medicare into [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893372 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:31:21 +0100 4893372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893373&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F01%2Fthe-beacon-communities-at-one-year-the-tulsa-experience%2F Editor’s note: The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the fourth in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893373 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:19:25 +0100 4893373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893374&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2F01%2Fa-way-forward-for-the-global-fund%2F The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has saved millions of lives, but now it is in crisis.  A string of revelations about the misuse of its grants to governments in developing countries, culminating in the recent news of the theft of $2.5 million worth of malaria drugs, has led some backers of [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893374 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:51:41 +0100 4893374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883548&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F31%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-strategies-for-the-global-decade-of-vaccines%2F Immunizing the world’s children against infectious diseases has dramatically cut childhood death and suffering in recent decades.  In 2010, philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates called for a new “Decade of Vaccines” to vault the progress dramatically forward. The June 2011 issue of Health Affairs, sponsored by the Gates Foundation, examines the strategies that will be [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883548 Tue, 31 May 2011 18:14:31 +0100 4883548 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883549&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F31%2Fsaving-the-shared-savings-program-part-2-financial-issues%2F Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of a series of blog posts by Ron Klar offering suggestions on how to make the Medicare Shared Savings Program a more viable vehicle for the creation of accountable care organizations. You can read the first installment here. In this posting I will address the three financial issues [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883549 Tue, 31 May 2011 16:25:27 +0100 4883549 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872049&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F26%2Fhealth-wonk-review-memorial-day-edition%2F If you’re traveling over the long weekend, you’ll want to take along some reading material. While some might reach for a good novel by John Grisham or Dan Brown, the health policy blogs in this edition of the Health Wonk Review tackle equally compelling mysteries. Was the Medicare Trustees report really that gloomy? If Workers [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872049 Thu, 26 May 2011 13:29:21 +0100 4872049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862487&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F25%2Fpioneer-acos-the-right-direction-but-whats-the-goal%2F Editor’s Note: The post below discusses the recent announcement regarding accountable care organizations by the Center For Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. This is also the topic of another post, by Douglas Hastings, published today on Health Affairs Blog. For large entities that already successfully participate in managed care, the recently announced Center for Medicare and [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862487 Wed, 25 May 2011 15:31:01 +0100 4862487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862488&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F25%2Fpioneer-acos-surging-to-a-new-level-of-integration%2F Editor’s Note: The post below discusses the recent announcement regarding accountable care organizations by the Center For Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. This is also the topic of another post, by Steve Lieberman, published today on Health Affairs Blog. In a speech on February 1, among other comments, Dr. Don Berwick, the Administrator for the Centers [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862488 Wed, 25 May 2011 15:28:44 +0100 4862488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862490&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F24%2Fthe-beacon-communities-at-one-year-the-inland-nw-experience%2F Editor’s note: The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the fourth in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862490 Tue, 24 May 2011 18:12:34 +0100 4862490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862491&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F24%2Fprotecting-children-from-environmental-chemical-exposures-an-economic-priority%2F In the May Health Affairs issue, Sarah Vogel and Judy Roberts map out the disastrous history of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the major legislation that regulates chemicals.  TSCA makes it difficult for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restrict use of any of the 62,000 chemicals already in commerce.  It does not [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862491 Tue, 24 May 2011 13:03:06 +0100 4862491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862492&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F23%2Fjust-another-hospital-weekend-or-life-and-death%2F Suppose you need to drive from Boston to San Francisco, about 3200 miles, over the next 7 days.  At an average speed limit of 55 mph you could accomplish this by driving about 10 hours a day, including stops for rest and food breaks; a grueling but not impossible journey. Now suppose that gas stations [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862492 Mon, 23 May 2011 19:25:39 +0100 4862492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852835&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F23%2Fthe-beacon-communities-at-one-year-the-se-minnesota-experience%2F Editor’s note: The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the third in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852835 Mon, 23 May 2011 18:13:00 +0100 4852835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847932&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F20%2Fimplementing-health-reform-the-preview-review-final-rule%2F Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series of posts by Timothy Jost on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.  Earlier posts have analyzed some important guidances, as well as provisions governing state waiver requests, student health plans, premium review, medical loss ratios, insurance exchanges, coverage for pre-existing conditions, appeals of coverage denials, coverage for [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847932 Fri, 20 May 2011 14:34:47 +0100 4847932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841411&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F19%2Fha-studies-focus-on-reducing-costs-reaching-the-underserved%2F The Affordable Care Act of 2010 is expected to extend health coverage to some thirty-two million previously uninsured Americans.  Two of the many challenges faced by both the private sector and the government are getting a handle on rapidly rising medical costs and providing care to the many new enrollees with chronic illnesses who are [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841411 Thu, 19 May 2011 19:36:27 +0100 4841411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841412&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F19%2Fthe-beacon-communities-at-one-year-the-colorado-experience%2F Editor’s Note: The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the second in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841412 Thu, 19 May 2011 18:56:51 +0100 4841412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841413&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F18%2Fhealth-policy-brief-the-class-act%2F The latest Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Plan, a voluntary, publicly administered insurance program enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. It is designed to help people should they become disabled and need long-term services and [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841413 Wed, 18 May 2011 15:45:27 +0100 4841413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841414&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F17%2Fsaving-the-shared-savings-program-acos-specific-suggestions-for-success-part-one%2F My Health Affairs Blog of April 7 expressed the view that the long-awaited Medicare Shared-Savings Program proposed rule released on March 31 “creates a program that is likely to have few participants”.  This view also appears in virtually every written commentary since.  There seems to be the widespread opinion that interested provider groups either could [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841414 Tue, 17 May 2011 12:13:39 +0100 4841414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828841&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F16%2Fthe-beacon-communities-at-one-year-the-central-indiana-experience%2F Editor’s note: The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the first in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828841 Mon, 16 May 2011 16:14:39 +0100 4828841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820795&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F13%2Fcommunity-development-and-health-is-topic-of-november-ha-cluster%2F Health Affairs plans a thematic cluster for its November 2011 issue on the topic of community development and health. Manuscript submissions are due no later than July 5, 2011. Papers will be selected for the issue based on competitive review. The publication of this cluster is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which in [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820795 Fri, 13 May 2011 21:42:55 +0100 4820795 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820796&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F13%2Fthe-shifting-health-care-landscape-lessons-from-the-clinton-era%2F The U.S. health care landscape is changing in a way that’s reminiscent of shifts that occurred during the Clinton Administration. As a former hospital CEO who experienced first-hand that earlier land rush, I’m struck by the similar dynamics that are at work again in health care. To be sure, there are great differences between the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820796 Fri, 13 May 2011 15:51:06 +0100 4820796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820797&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F13%2Fadvanced-practice-registered-nurses-crucial-full-partners-in-acos-and-beyond%2F Are some primary care providers more equal than others in CMS’ proposed rule for accountable care organizations (ACOs)? As the June 6 deadline for comment approaches, we need to take a closer look at just how the proposed rule might shape the future of primary care. Here’s one big red flag: even though ACO participants [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820797 Fri, 13 May 2011 15:05:52 +0100 4820797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820798&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F12%2Fwonk-review-includes-ha-blog-post-on-aca-legal-fight%2F Hank Stern has posted a “Spring Cleaning” edition of the Health Wonk Review on InsureBlog. Among the posts Hank highlights is Tim Jost’s Health Affairs Blog post on the first appellate arguments over the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Health Affairs Blog will host the next Health Wonk Review two weeks from today, on [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820798 Thu, 12 May 2011 20:48:16 +0100 4820798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820799&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F12%2Frx-drug-abuse-how-important-is-the-internet%2F The rising availability through the Internet of commonly abused prescription drugs has raised public health concerns.  A new study released today as a Web First article by Health Affairs shows that a 10 percent increase in the availability of high-speed Internet service in a state was associated with an approximately 1 percent increase in admissions [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820799 Thu, 12 May 2011 19:03:17 +0100 4820799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820800&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F12%2Fwhat-health-reform-means-for-medicare%2F While President Barack Obama and congressional leaders continue to tussle over what to do about the nation’s unsustainable entitlement spending programs, the effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) seem to have gone largely unnoticed. This oversight is hard to explain. In recent decades, real Medicare spending has been growing at a [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820800 Thu, 12 May 2011 12:26:08 +0100 4820800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813229&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F11%2Fclinical-registries-the-opportunity-for-the-nation%2F In the early 1970s, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation began tracking the health of patients with cystic fibrosis.  What began as a modest data collection effort is today a comprehensive clinical registry of 26,000 patients.  Caregivers and researchers use the registry to identify new trends in outcomes; recognize the most effective treatments; and design clinical trials [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813229 Wed, 11 May 2011 16:22:36 +0100 4813229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813230&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F10%2Fhealth-reform-the-legal-fight-moves-to-the-next-level%2F Today, May 10, the Fourth Circuit federal court of appeals heard oral arguments in two Affordable Care Act cases (ACA), Liberty University v. Geithner and Virginia v. Sebelius. In the Liberty University case, Judge Norman Moon of the Western District of Virginia had upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act against a challenge brought [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813230 Tue, 10 May 2011 23:57:38 +0100 4813230 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813231&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F10%2Fstrengthen-restrictions-on-health-threatening-chemicals-says-study%2F With growing evidence of the link between exposure to toxic chemicals and chronic diseases, especially in children, the United States needs to step up its efforts to protect the public from hazardous chemicals, say researchers writing in the May issue of Health Affairs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stymied by the outdated Toxic Substances Control [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813231 Tue, 10 May 2011 15:16:51 +0100 4813231 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813232&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F10%2Fhow-to-make-comparative-effectiveness-work%2F Comparative effectiveness research has been the target of recurrent criticism in some political circles, with opponents claiming it’s the “gateway to rationing” or it encourages “cookbook medicine.” But the conversation on Capitol Hill needs to evolve beyond the rhetoric so it can address the reality of medical care today: doctors and patients lack access to [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813232 Tue, 10 May 2011 13:53:37 +0100 4813232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803025&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F09%2Fpublic-coverage-programs-solving-the-enrollment-dilemma%2F Editor’s Note: In addition to Alain Enthoven and Leonard Schaeffer (photos and bios above), this post is coauthored by David Helwig and Phil Lebherz. Helwig retired as President and CEO West Region for WellPoint, Inc., and he also served as chief executive officer and president of Blue Cross of California. Lebherz is Chairman of LISI, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803025 Mon, 09 May 2011 15:33:55 +0100 4803025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794833&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F06%2Fnew-answers-on-macular-degeneration-important-questions-for-comparative-effectiveness-research%2F On April 28th, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a study that compared two drugs head-to-head for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of legal blindness in the United States.  The two drugs, Ranibizumab (Lucentis) and Bevacizumab (Avastin), are very similar molecules and are both meant to [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794833 Fri, 06 May 2011 15:45:32 +0100 4794833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789192&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F05%2Fhealth-systems-and-environmental-health-reducing-harm-and-costs%2F Editor’s Note: In our April issue, Health Affairs examined efforts to improve quality in hospitals and other health care settings. Our May issue, which will be published online later this week, looks at the myriad connections between the environment and health. These two themes come together in the blog post below, which examines how hospitals have sought [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789192 Thu, 05 May 2011 20:04:33 +0100 4789192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789193&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F05%2Fways-and-means-chair-panel-won%25e2%2580%2599t-consider-ryan-medicare-plan%2F House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) said this morning that his committee will not take up a proposal this year to replace Medicare’s defined benefits formula with a “voucher” or “premium support” system in which seniors would shop for private coverage using defined contributions from the federal government. Such a reform proposal [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789193 Thu, 05 May 2011 20:01:30 +0100 4789193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789194&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F04%2Fenvironmental-illness-in-children-costs-76-6-billion-annually%2F Poor childhood health caused by environmental factors, such as air pollution and exposure to toxic chemicals, cost the United States $76.6 billion in 2008, according to a new study in the May issue of Health Affairs. This price tag represents a dramatic increase,  from 2.8 percent of total health care costs in 1997 to 3.5 [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789194 Wed, 04 May 2011 13:38:56 +0100 4789194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780284&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F03%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-reminder-environmental-challenges-for-health%2F Tomorrow, on Wednesday,  May 4, Health Affairs will hold a Washington D.C. briefing in connection with its first ever issue on environmental health. National environmental health and policy experts will discuss the state of environmental health and its future, and will present new research in the field. The briefing and Health Affairs issue on environmental [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780284 Tue, 03 May 2011 16:30:33 +0100 4780284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775363&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F02%2Faco-posts-lead-ha-blog-top-ten-for-april%2F Accountable care organizations figure prominently in the list of most-read Health Affairs Blog posts for April. Specifically, the list contains several posts analyzing the recently issued proposed rules implementing the Medicare Shared Savings program. A post by Mark McClellan and Elliott Fisher tops the list, which also includes posts by Ron Klar, Steven Lieberman, Joe [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775363 Mon, 02 May 2011 17:24:31 +0100 4775363 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4767970&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F29%2Fconference-to-focus-on-states-and-health-it%2F Health information technology can be a catalyst for the transformation of American health care, and the states have a major role to play when it comes to health IT, and indeed all aspects of health reform. That state role is the focus of the 2011 State Healthcare IT Connect Summit, June 21-23 in Dulles, Virginia. [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4767970 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:03:22 +0100 4767970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4762738&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F28%2Fleighton-ku-on-medicaid-in-health-wonk-review%2F Over at the Incidental Economist, Don Taylor, Aaron Carroll, and Austin Frakt present the latest edition of the Health Wonk Review. Among the posts highlighted by this trio is Leighton Ku’s Health Affairs Blog post on Medicaid. As the Wonk Review says, Ku “considers the remarkable history of the Medicaid program, long controversial and even [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4762738 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:03:02 +0100 4762738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758725&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F27%2Fnew-narrative-matters-recording-on-itunes-u%2F Health Affairs today adds a new Medical Education recording to its free collection of Narrative Matters essays on iTunes U. The account was written by Fitzhugh Mullan, a physician and clinical professor of pediatrics and public health at the George Washington University and the original editor of the “Narrative Matters” section. The essay, “Me And [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758725 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:57:12 +0100 4758725 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753649&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F26%2Fwhere%25e2%2580%2599s-the-patient-in-the-patient-centered-medical-home%2F The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has grabbed the limelight as a new model of health care that offers an alternative to fragmented, impersonal and wasteful care that has become the norm throughout much of the U.S.  The PCMH model promises each patient a primary care provider leading an interdisciplinary care team, with the intent of [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753649 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:58:32 +0100 4753649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753650&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F26%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-environmental-challenges-for-health%2F Amid the ongoing debate over restructuring health care and implementing health reform, other factors that could affect health usually get far less attention.  One, the recently enacted $1.6 billion cut in the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency for fiscal 2011, could impair the agency’s ability to enforce rules governing clean air and water. Also [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753650 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:59:40 +0100 4753650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753651&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F25%2Facos-improved-care-or-roadblocks-to-innovation%2F Some debates about health care policy represent black and white choices. But others are a more nuanced shade of grey: the new proposals could turn out well, or not so well, depending on how they are implemented. One such reform getting broad-based attention is the creation of Medicare Accountable Care Organizations, or “ACOs,” which are [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753651 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:41:22 +0100 4753651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742356&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F22%2Faccountable-care-organizations-an-opportunity-to-transform-care%2F The latest study, out last week, shows one in three patients in the hospital may experience a medical error—an incidence almost ten times higher than previously assumed.  Health care costs still make up approximately 17 percent of GDP—about $2.5 trillion dollars a year—and are rising three times faster than inflation.  Unfortunately, it continues to be [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742356 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:19:10 +0100 4742356 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742357&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F21%2Fthe-year-of-the-family-caregiver-in-what-country%2F President Obama has begun his campaign for re-election in 2012.  Several Republicans have declared their intention to consider the possibility of running.   Meanwhile, implementation of health care reform proceeds slowly, with threats of defunding and legal action scuttling alongside to keep up.  Policy debates about accountable care organizations, medical homes, and other attempts to bring [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742357 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:34:42 +0100 4742357 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734026&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F21%2Fwill-price-competition-lead-to-quality-competition%2F Editor’s Note: In addition to John Goodman (photo and bio above), this post was coauthored by Gerald Musgrave and Devon Herrick. In our third-party-payer health insurance system the price for care is typically set by entities external to the doctor-patient relationship.  As a result, providers rarely compete for patients based on money prices. Potentially they [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734026 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:13:12 +0100 4734026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734027&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F20%2Frequest-for-abstracts-health-care-disparities%2F Health Affairs plans a cluster of papers on the continuing disparities in health care access and outcomes for minority and vulnerable populations in the United States for October, 2011. We hope to include papers that both illuminate past developments and future demographic trends and that also feature new understanding on how to move the disparities [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734027 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:49:34 +0100 4734027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734028&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F19%2Fhealth-policy-brief-improving-quality%2F A new Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines the ongoing need to improve the quality and safety of health care provided in the United States. Despite some progress toward goals set a decade ago following two landmark Institute of Medicine studies, the nation faces considerable challenges in making [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734028 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:24:14 +0100 4734028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723782&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F18%2Fcomparative-effectiveness-research-how-can-it-change-practice%2F The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)  is designed to increase the number of U. S. citizens with access to health insurance.  Along with augmented access to health insurance and hopefully health care for millions of the currently uninsured, as well as some degree of overall health care cost containment,  the ultimate success of [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723782 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:59:19 +0100 4723782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4719874&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F15%2Fmedicaid-in-the-bulls-eye%2F For decades, the Medicaid program has experienced periodic threats as federal policymakers have proposed to make major budget cuts, create state block grants, split up the program and so on.   In addition, every several years, some state officials announce they are about to pull out of the program (though none has ever done so).  Medicaid [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4719874 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:40:21 +0100 4719874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714710&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F14%2Fthe-proposed-accountable-care-organization-antitrust-guidance-a-first-look%2F Editor’s note: This post, by Joe Miller, is part of a series of Health Affairs Blog posts examining the proposed rules and guidelines implementing the Medicare Shared Savings Program, issued March 31 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other agencies.  You can read other posts in the series by Mark McClellan and [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714710 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:11:59 +0100 4714710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714711&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F14%2Fthe-presidents-deficit-plan-implications-for-health-care%2F President Barack Obama took the very symbolic gesture of delivering his much anticipated speech on fiscal reform and deficit reduction from a podium at George Washington University, an institution of higher learning, including schools of medicine, public health and nursing.  By doing so, he signaled the desire to infuse a sense of responsibility in the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714711 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:35:20 +0100 4714711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709181&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F13%2Fhealth-care-in-president-obamas-deficit-reduction-plan%2F Today President Obama, in a speech at George Washington University, is presenting a framework for long-term deficit reduction and entitlement reform. The White House says the plan will provide $4 trillion of deficit reduction in 12 years of less. Here’s what a White House fact sheet says about the health care aspects of the President’s [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709181 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:58:45 +0100 4709181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709182&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F13%2Fat-onc-and-cms-resources-for-incentive-eligible-professionals%2F On January 3, 2011, registration for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs opened for America’s health care providers. Eligible professionals and hospitals that register may qualify for significant incentive payments under Medicare and Medicaid when they switch from paper-based medical records to certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. Congress established the Medicare and Medicaid [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709182 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:38:01 +0100 4709182 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704608&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F12%2Fmostashari-and-more-health-it-in-health-affairs%2F One of the biggest challenges to realizing the full benefits of electronic health records (EHRs) has been moving their adoption beyond large integrated systems to safety net providers and physicians in small and solo practices. The new National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Farzad Mostashari, may be particularly well prepared to deal with that challenge. Before [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704608 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:37:11 +0100 4704608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704609&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F12%2Fsebelius-and-berwick-highlight-ha-study-at-patient-safety-initiative-launch%2F In announcing a major new patient safety and quality initiative, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen  Sebelius today highlighted a study in the April 2011 issue of Health Affairs, titled “Still Crossing The Quality Chasm.” “Just last week, a report released in Health Affairs found that errors or adverse events occur in nearly one out [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704609 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:56:30 +0100 4704609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693257&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F08%2Fquality-leaders-describe-experiences-in-new-health-affairs%2F Safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable health care:  These should be the core aims of the US health care system, according the Institute of Medicine’s 2001 report, Crossing the Quality Chasm.  A decade later, despite a major national focus on patient safety, gaps in quality and safety remain. Some leading health systems are making [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693257 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:41:44 +0100 4693257 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693258&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F07%2Foverweight-and-out-of-shape-aco-regs-need-a-major-makeover%2F Editor’s Note:This post is part of a series of Health Affairs Blog posts examining the proposed rule implementing the Medicare Shared Savings Program, issued March 31 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. You can read earlier posts in the series by Mark McClellan and Elliott Fisher, Douglas Hastings, and Steve Lieberman. No proposed [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693258 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:07:07 +0100 4693258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684245&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F07%2Fnew-health-affairs-hospital-errors-ten-times-more-common-than-thought%2F Despite more than a decade of national focus on patient safety, medical errors and other adverse events occur in one-third of hospital admissions—as much as ten times more than some previous estimates have indicated, according to authors of a new study in the April issue of Health Affairs. The April issue is funded by the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684245 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:40:47 +0100 4684245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684246&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F06%2Fvouchers-or-premium-support-whats-in-a-name%2F In the mid-1990s, a number of health care analysts and some elected officials, worried about projected growth of Medicare spending, suggested replacing Medicare with flat dollar payments to Medicare beneficiaries.  These payments could be used to buy private insurance plans that the recipients preferred. Federal payments would be capped.  Individuals could buy any approved plan. [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684246 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:56:26 +0100 4684246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684247&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F06%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-reminder-still-crossing-the-quality-chasm%2F In a briefing on Thursday, April 7, Health Affairs will convene national health leaders and policy experts to discuss the current state of quality in the U.S. health care system; the latest data on costs; challenges in measuring quality and quality improvement; successful models for improving quality and safety; and where we go from here.  [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684247 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:00:49 +0100 4684247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684248&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F06%2Fproposed-cms-regulation-kills-acos-softly%2F Editor’s Note:This post is part of a series of Health Affairs Blog posts examining the proposed rule implementing the Medicare Shared Savings Program, issued March 31 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. You can read earlier posts in the series by Mark McClellan and Elliott Fisher and by Douglas Hastings. Watch this blog [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684248 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:38:23 +0100 4684248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684249&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F05%2Fhealth-policy-brief-unreasonable-rate-increases%2F A new Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation describes a new requirement for reviewing “unreasonable” health insurance rate increases. A provision of the Affordable Care Act requires such reviews for individual and small-group health insurance (typically for companies with fifty or fewer employees). The goal is to discourage insurers [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684249 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:28:45 +0100 4684249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684250&cid=t_129101_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2F05%2Fthe-medicare-aco-proposed-rule-legal-structure-governance-and-regulatory-sections%2F Editor’s Note: This post, by Douglas Hastings, is part of a series of Health Affairs Blog posts examining the proposed rule implementing the Medicare Shared Savings Program, issued March 31 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Hastings’ post offers a first look at the rule’s legal structure, governance, and regulatory sections. You can [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684250 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:38:18 +0100 4684250