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 'chronic care'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:31:45 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181736&cid=t_167477_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=5181738&cid=t_167477_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=5118591&cid=t_167477_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=5069421&cid=t_167477_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=5050502&cid=t_167477_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=5008113&cid=t_167477_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=4968442&cid=t_167477_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_167477_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=4921368&cid=t_167477_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=4862490&cid=t_167477_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=4852835&cid=t_167477_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=4841412&cid=t_167477_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_167477_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_167477_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_167477_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=4789194&cid=t_167477_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_167477_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=4753649&cid=t_167477_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=4753651&cid=t_167477_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=4742357&cid=t_167477_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=4719874&cid=t_167477_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=4664129&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F03%2F31%2Faccountable-care-organizations-a-framework-for-evaluating-proposed-rules%2F The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, and the Internal Revenue Service have released proposed regulations for implementing Section 3022 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Medicare Shared Savings program.  The [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664129 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:21:03 +0100 4664129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664131&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F03%2F31%2Facos-medical-homes-and-reform-a-crucial-consensus%2F With the federal government poised to propose rules governing accountable care organizations, a broad array of public and private health care stakeholders has laid out a consensus on how to use ACOs and patient-centered medical homes to move toward the “triple aim” of better health, better care, and lower costs. The report, Better to Best: [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664131 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:50:17 +0100 4664131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653298&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F03%2F29%2Fcamdens-roadmap-to-reform%2F In the eyes of some, health reform  threatens to burn down the old house of the American health system before it has built the country a new one.  There are many who will not mourn the passing of the old, but it is fair to say that most health care leaders are extremely anxious to [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653298 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:10:59 +0100 4653298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615074&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F03%2F21%2Fpre-tax-purchase-of-otc-drugs-a-prescription-for-compromise%2F One of the most contentious issues in drafting health reform legislation was the tax treatment of health care expenses.  From modifying the tax exclusion for employer-provided health coverage to imposing new fees on medical treatments and products, resistance to changing health tax policy underscored the immense difficulty of enacting reforms without a broad political consensus. [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615074 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:00:18 +0100 4615074 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560223&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F03%2F08%2Fmarch-health-affairs-issue-innovations-in-health-care-delivery%2F Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government was handed an unprecedented set of tools to forge innovation in health care delivery through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Now, as the new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation begins its work, the goal is to achieve the vaunted “Triple Aim” of improving individuals’ experience of [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560223 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:04:13 +0100 4560223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477682&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F02%2F14%2Fhealth-care-in-the-2012-budget-looking-forward-and-backward%2F Today, President Barack Obama released his Annual Budget, which emphasizes the Administration’s vision for moving forward by out-innovating, out-educating and out-building out of a recession.  The President proposes a freeze on non-security discretionary spending for the next five years, bringing this spending to the lowest levels since the Eisenhower White House. Health care is not as [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477682 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:06:47 +0100 4477682 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349488&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2F14%2Fthe-end-of-internal-medicine-as-we-know-it%2F Editor’s Note: In the post below, Caroline Poplin takes a skeptical look at Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and the trends they represent. For more on ACOs from various perspectives, readers can consult the January issue of Health Affairs, released on Thursday, January 6, titled “Accountable Care Organizations: Making Them Work.” Physicians have doubtless been issuing jeremiads since [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349488 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:13:35 +0100 4349488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4322486&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2F07%2Fnew-health-affairs-the-next-phase-for-acos%2F The Affordable Care Act created new “accountable care organizations” (ACOs) in Medicare, and an accompanying “shared savings” program, to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries and reduce unnecessary costs. Now, health systems across the country are building on the model by drawing up ACO-like contracts with private payers.  The January issue of Health [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4322486 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:15:30 +0100 4322486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318410&cid=t_167477_114_f&fid=34648&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthBlawg%2F%7E3%2FTUSQTN0muO8%2Faccountable-care-organizations-the-emperor-has-no-clothes-or-jeff-goldsmiths-plan-b.html The current all-ACO issue of Health Affairs includes a piece by Jeff Goldsmith entitled: Accountable Care Organizations: The Case For Flexible Partnerships Between Health Plans And Providers.  It is a proposal for how private sector health plans ought to pay for services, in order to save us all from what Goldsmith sees happening in the near future thanks to the Gold Rush mentality among health care provider organizations working to become ACOs before they've been defined in regulation.  He begins with a précis of how we've gotten into the health care market mess we're in, touching on the concentration of market power in horizontally and vertically integrated health care provider organizations, payors and providers mudwrestling over fee-for-service reimbursement rates, and the rise of ... HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318410 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:28:38 +0100 4318410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265658&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F12%2F17%2Fwatch-the-health-affairs-conference-on-innovation-in-care-delivery%2F Yesterday, on December 16, Health Affairs convened a day-long conference on “Innovations Across the Nation in Health Care Delivery.” Richard Gilfillan, the acting director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, keynoted the event. The program also featured several panels of CEOs and program leaders from institutions that have innovated at the patient care level; [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265658 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:19:18 +0100 4265658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265659&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F12%2F15%2Fhealth-affairs-conference-innovations-in-health-care-delivery-3%2F Health Affairs, the nation’s leading journal on health policy, is convening a day-long conference on “Innovations Across the Nation in Health Care Delivery.” The free conference is scheduled for Thursday, December 16, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Ronald Reagan Center for International Trade, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington, D.C. Please note that [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265659 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:17:21 +0100 4265659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245275&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F12%2F09%2Fprevention-primary-care-effective-against-chronic-disease-around-globe%2F Worldwide disease prevention programs and greater use of primary care reduce deaths, rates of illness, and costs associated with chronic illness, according to several studies in the December issue of the journal Health Affairs.  The articles offer hope for the success of similar interventions from rural China to urban Chile, where the growth of chronic diseases [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245275 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:37:23 +0100 4245275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241697&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F12%2F08%2Fstudies-puncture-arguments-about-benefits-of-imaging-self-referral%2F When physicians who aren’t radiologists refer patients to imaging facilities they own or lease—known as self-referral—their patients don’t always benefit. In fact, these self-referrals lead to overuse of services, escalate spending, and rarely shorten the duration of illness, according to a series of studies in the December issue of Health Affairs. The findings challenge what [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241697 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:24:00 +0100 4241697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4237862&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F12%2F07%2Fmcallen-el-paso-spending-differences-are-substantially-smaller-under-private-insurance%2F Whether Medicare or private insurance pays for health care appears to make a significant difference in health spending variation, according to a study by Luisa Franzini of the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) and coauthors, published today in the December issue of Health Affairs. The study, a follow-up to a highly publicized 2009 New Yorker article by Atul [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4237862 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:17:36 +0100 4237862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4219715&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F12%2F01%2Fhealth-affairs-conference-innovations-in-health-care-delivery%2F Health Affairs, the nation’s leading journal on health policy, is convening a day-long conference on “Innovations in Health Care Delivery.” The free conference is scheduled for Thursday, December 16, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Ronald Reagan Center for International Trade, on 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington, D.C. Richard Gilfillan, the acting [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4219715 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:20:02 +0100 4219715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133647&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2F02%2Fnew-health-affairs-issue-value-based-insurance-design%2F Having insurance coverage that requires consumers to pay less out of pocket for certain medications— for example, those they must take regularly to combat chronic illness— makes it more likely that they will adhere to their medication regimens.  But the jury is still out on whether this strategy will dramatically reduce the rate of growth [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133647 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:34:09 +0100 4133647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097885&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2F21%2Fnarrative-matters-refusing-mammograms-and-caring-for-elderly-parents%2F Which groups of women, if any, should get regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer? This question has been the subject of passionate debate. For example, when the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended that women without special risk factors begin regular mammograms at age 50, rather than 40, it unleashed an uproar that threatened [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097885 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:48:00 +0100 4097885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4086243&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2F20%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-value-based-insurance-design%2F The November issue of Health Affairs,with the support of the California HealthCare Foundation, focuses on the growing interest in and adoption of value-based insurance design.  Value-based insurance design is based on the simple concept that incentives matter – and if insurance coverage is an obvious set of incentives for both provider and patient, it should be [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4086243 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:52:28 +0100 4086243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074011&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2F14%2Fplugging-into-the-future-of-health-care%2F Lonny Reisman, Aetna’s chief medical officer, was a participant in an August 5  National Press Club briefing on steps the private sector can take to promote meaningful use of health IT. The briefing was cosponsored by Health Affairs and the Health Industry Forum at Brandeis University. The post below highlights some aspects of Reisman’s presentation and supplements his discussion. Too often, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074011 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:37:14 +0100 4074011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013125&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F09%2F28%2Fremembering-robert-butler%2F On July 7, Robert Butler died of leukemia. Butler was the founding director of the National Institute on Aging, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and one of the nation’s leading authorities on aging and geriatrics. This post, by William Hazzard, Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington and Director of Geriatrics and Extended Care for the VA [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013125 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:28:47 +0100 4013125 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993853&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F09%2F23%2Fbeacons-for-better-health%2F It’s a phrase we hear over and over: Our nation’s commitment to health information technology (HIT) is not really about the technology, it’s about the improvements in health care and health outcomes that the technology can support.  When the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was enacted last year, the aim was [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993853 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:04:34 +0100 3993853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980895&cid=t_167477_113_f&fid=35744&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fe-CareManagement%2F%7E3%2FEpJjPSMK0cs%2F The Care Continuum Alliance has mercifully and wisely rebranded it’s name and eliminated the initials “DMAA”. See its press release: Care Continuum Alliance Launches New Brand for Population Health Improvement. (As a reminder, DMAA originally stood for Disease Management Association of America.) I for one say “hurrah, and good riddance”. Where Did the Term “Disease Management” (DM) Trip Up? (more…) No tag for this post. (Source: e-CareManagement) e-CareManagement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980895 Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:09:09 +0100 3980895 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3972892&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F09%2F15%2Fhealth-policy-brief-patient-centered-medical-homes%2F “Patient-centered medical homes” are widely considered to be among the most promising approaches to delivering higher-quality, cost-effective primary care in the United States, especially for those with chronic health conditions.  Health care reform legislation authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to test medical homes, among other new care-delivery models, to help avert [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3972892 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:07:07 +0100 3972892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3914951&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F08%2F30%2Frobert-butlers-legacy%2F Editor’s note: Earlier this summer, on July 7, Robert Butler died of leukemia. Butler was the founding director of the National Institute on Aging, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and one of the nation’s leading authorities on aging and geriatrics. With the essay below by Christine Cassel, president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Health [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3914951 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:01:06 +0100 3914951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3861980&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F08%2F12%2Fnonelderly-medicare-beneficiaries-access-and-costs-more-problematic%2F A new study released today by Health Affairs focuses on an often-neglected segment of Medicare enrollees: people ages 18–64 with permanent disabilities, a group that currently numbers eight million, or roughly one-sixth of the total number of Americans on Medicare. The 2008 survey of a nationally representative survey of noninstitutionalized Medicare beneficiaries was designed and [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3861980 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:37:03 +0100 3861980 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3854492&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F08%2F10%2Fhealth-policy-brief-pre-existing-condition-coverage%2F The latest Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) explores challenges facing the new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a program designed to help those with illnesses who have had difficulty obtaining affordable health insurance. The brief reviews decisions that may need to be made by the administration and Congress [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3854492 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:00:29 +0100 3854492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3827031&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F08%2F05%2Fthrough-a-patients-eyes-the-value-of-ehrs%2F Editor’s Note: Will Bloedow (photo and bio above) is a participant in today’s National Press Club briefing on meaningful use of health IT, cosponsored by Health Affairs and the Health Industry Forum at Brandeis University. The post below highlights salient points of Bloedow’s presentation and supplements his discussion. From a patient’s perspective, the increasing emphasis on an Electronic Health Record (EHR) and [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3827031 Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:14:40 +0100 3827031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753776&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F14%2Fmedicare-innovation-whose-priorities-whose-interests%2F Editor’s Note: In addition to Carol Levine (photo and bio above), authors of this post include Eric Coleman, Professor in the Division of Health Care Policy and Research, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine; and Mary Naylor, Director of the New Courtland Center for Transitions and Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. The opportunity for significant [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753776 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:47:10 +0100 3753776 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3737017&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F08%2Fjuly-health-affairs-the-impact-of-health-reform%2F The new health reform law charges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with testing new payment and delivery models intended to improve health outcomes and restrain costs. But as the July issue of Health Affairs, published yesterday, points out, implementing all of these activities will require a combination of flexibility, leadership, coordination, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3737017 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:54:20 +0100 3737017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3581578&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2F19%2Fthe-hivaids-pandemic-a-looming-funding-crisis%2F Despite unprecedented growth in available resources, the world is facing both short- and long-run financial crises in combating the international HIV/AIDS pandemic. That message emerges strongly from a cluster of articles in the November/December 2009 issue of Health Affairs funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. HIV funding shortfalls and their potential lethal consequences have received heightened attention of late, notably in a powerful set of articles published recently by Donald McNeil of the New York Times. As Health Affairs noted in one of several policy briefs summarizing findings and recommendations from the November/December issue, over the past six years the world has pumped nearly $52 billion into fighting the pandemic, making it possible for more than 4 million inf... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3581578 Wed, 19 May 2010 22:17:13 +0100 3581578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529741&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2F04%2Fnew-health-affairs-issue-reinventing-primary-care%2F Bold changes are needed in how the United States delivers and pays for primary care if the key goals of national health reform are to be achieved, according to the May issue of Health Affairs. This thematic issue of the journal, released today at a National Press Club briefing, examines the crisis facing the U.S. primary care system as well as promising solutions for reinventing primary care.  Building a state-of-the-art primary care system, the issue concludes, is critical to achieving better health care, better value for the dollars spent, and expanded access for the tens of millions of Americans who will gain insurance coverage over the next few years. The United States faces a well-known shortage of primary care providers, but recruiting more physicians, nurse practitioners, physic... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529741 Tue, 04 May 2010 13:06:04 +0100 3529741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3453864&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2F09%2Fan-international-trend-toward-self-directed-care%2F Critics of consumer-directed health care often argue that patients are not knowledgeable enough and the market is not transparent enough for consumerism to work in health care. But a study by The Commonwealth Fund says there is an international trend toward self-directed care (SDC) and it is focused on a most unlikely group of patients: the frail, the old, the disabled and even the mentally ill. In the United States, Medicaid “Cash and Counseling” programs — underway for over a decade — allow home-bound, disabled patients to manage their own budgets and choose services that meet their needs. In Germany and Austria, a cash payment is made to people eligible for long-term care — with few strings attached and little oversight on how the money is used. In England and the Netherlands... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3453864 Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:46:40 +0100 3453864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3385327&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F19%2Fall-high-risk-pools-are-not-equal-examining-the-minnesota-model%2F As House Democrats are attempting to move a health reform bill forward this week, it is worth noting that at least one part of the plan before Congress has support from Republicans, many Democrats in the House and Senate, and President Obama: high-risk pools for people with expensive or preexisting medical conditions. High-risk pools can help hard-to-insure people obtain health insurance by putting them together in one purchasing pool and potentially subsidizing their coverage. The Senate’s version of health-reform legislation—which is the basis of the proposal the House is now considering—proposes to support high-risk pools until 2014, when they will be phased out in favor of new rules requiring that insurance companies offer coverage to people with preexisting conditions. High... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3385327 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:36:59 +0100 3385327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370369&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F15%2Fthe-way-forward-on-child-obesity%2F Editor’s Note: The March issue of Health Affairs is a thematic issue focusing on the child obesity epidemic and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Two days after the issue and an accompanying series of policy briefs was released at a March 2 Washington DC briefing, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held the first of a planned series of hearings on child obesity. Today, the Health Affairs Blog offers posts from Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chairman of the HELP Committee (below) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), the ranking member of the panel. Most Americans would be shocked to know that, for the first time in our nation’s history, we are in danger of raising a generation of children who will live sicker and die younger than the generation before ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370369 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:10:27 +0100 3370369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370370&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F15%2Ffighting-child-obesity-states-lead-the-way%2F Editor’s Note: The March issue of Health Affairs is a thematic issue focusing on the child obesity epidemic and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Two days after the issue and an accompanying series of policy briefs was released at a March 2 Washington DC briefing, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held the first of a planned series of hearings on child obesity. Today, the Health Affairs Blog offers posts from Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), the ranking member of the HELP Committee (below) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chairman of the panel. Our nation faces an epidemic of childhood obesity that threatens the lives, health, and financial independence of our children and grandchildren. As a result of growing rates of obesity, millions of American c... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370370 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:08:41 +0100 3370370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3326952&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F03%2Faudio-of-child-obesity-briefing-is-available%2F The March issue of Health Affairs, a thematic issue on child obesity supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was released at a March 2 briefing in Washington D.C. Audio, slides, and an agenda from the briefing are available on the Health Affairs Web site, and video will be posted soon. Copyright © 2010 Health Affairs Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. All material published on Health Affairs blog, excluding links, is covered under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - No Derivs 2.5 license.Plugin by Taragana (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3326952 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:43:56 +0100 3326952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3326953&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F03%2Fstudy-showing-rise-in-snacking-by-children-generates-discussion%2F Children in the United States snack almost three times a day on salty chips, candy, and other junk food, according to one of the first studies to look at long-term eating patterns in children. The increase in snacking—which now accounts for more than 27 percent of daily caloric intake in children—added 168 calories per day to kids’ caloric intake between 1977 and 2006. The new research was published yesterday in the March 2010 edition of Health Affairs, which focuses on the child obesity epidemic and was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Our study shows that some children, including very young children, snack almost continuously throughout the day,” said Barry M. Popkin, a professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hi... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3326953 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:36:43 +0100 3326953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322332&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F02%2Fhealth-affairs-policy-briefs-examine-child-obesity%2F In conjunction with its March 2010 issue on child obesity, Health Affairs has prepared a series of policy briefs. The new Health Affairs volume demonstrates that policy leaders can and should take crucial steps to address the obesity epidemic,  and the briefs encapsulate policy recommendations from articles in the March issue. The briefs also contain links back to the full-length Health Affairs articles for additional information. The briefs, which are freely available to all, include: Overview: The State Of Childhood Obesity In America The Role Of Agriculture Policy In Reducing Childhood Obesity Food Marketing And Distribution’s Role In The Fight Against Childhood Obesity Speeding Up Progress In Fighting Obesity In Schools Lessons From States On Fighting Childhood Obesity ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322332 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:43:14 +0100 3322332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322333&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F02%2Fchild-obesity-health-affairs-explores-strategies-for-combating-epidemic%2F How should America tackle an obesity crisis that is threatening the health and well-being of nearly one-third of its children? That is the subject of the March 2010 edition of Health Affairs, which both describes the root causes of this pathology and offers prescriptions for improving the health of America’s children. The March issue is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Kids are becoming obese or overweight at the ripe old age of four, meaning that they are already predisposed to shorter, sicker lives from diabetes, heart problems, even certain types of cancer,” writes Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Susan Dentzer. “What is this crisis if not some national form of child abuse?” A new study by Christina Bethell of the Oregon Health and Science Unive... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322333 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:02:09 +0100 3322333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294559&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2F21%2Fbriefing-medicare-spending-and-chronic-disease%2F There will be a briefing on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to discuss the findings of a study on Medicare cost drivers published February 18 on the Health Affairs Web site.  The event will be sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.  Speakers will include the Hon. David Walker, President and CEO of the Peterson Foundation, and Kenneth Thorpe, Ph.D., the lead author of the Health Affairs paper and the executive director of Emory University’s Center for Entitlement Reform.  The moderator will be Mary Rubino, a senior editor at Health Affairs. For more information or to RSVP, contact Katherine Klein at (202) 727-8954 or kklein@apcoworldwide.com. Copyright © 2010 Health Affairs Blog. This Feed is for persona... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294559 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:19:01 +0100 3294559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294560&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2F21%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-child-obesity-the-way-forward%2F “America is guilty of child abuse,” writes Health Affairs Editor-In-Chief Susan Dentzer in the March 2010 issue of the journal, devoted to combating child obesity. The issue examines the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States, analyzing causes of the growing problem and proposing the best available solutions for healthier future for America’s children. On March 2, 2010, Health Affairs will welcome policy experts at a briefing to discuss the child obesity epidemic in a series of panel discussions. Speakers will include: William H. Dietz, Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control; and Gopal K Singh, HRSA/Maternal and Child Health Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. WHEN:   Tuesday, March 2, 2010, 8:30... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294560 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:16:58 +0100 3294560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3290791&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2F19%2Fchronic-conditions-now-drive-medicare-spending-increases%2F An article published yesterday by Health Affairs finds that the causes of Medicare spending growth have changed dramatically over the past two decades.  Twenty years ago, most of the increases were due to inpatient hospital services, especially for heart disease, but recent annual increases are the result of outpatient treatment of chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and kidney disease, report researchers from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta.   Lead author Kenneth Thorpe and colleagues analyzed data about disease prevalence and about level of and change in spending on the ten most expensive conditions in the Medicare population from 1987, 1997, and 2006.  Among the key findings: heart disease ranked first in terms of share ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3290791 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:01:20 +0100 3290791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3223225&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F29%2Ftop-20-health-affairs-journal-articles-for-2009%2F We are pleased to announce the “most-read” Health Affairs journal articles published in 2009. The number 1 article published in 2009 was on “Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity” by Eric Finkelstein and colleagues.  All articles below are open to all readers for the next 2 weeks—through February 12, 2010. Top-viewed articles published in 2009 Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer-And Service-Specific Estimates by Eric A. Finkelstein, Justin G. Trogdon, Joel W. Cohen, and William Dietz Health Spending Projections Through 2018: Recession Effects Add Uncertainty To The Outlook by Andrea Sisko, Christopher Truffer, Sheila Smith, Sean Keehan, Jonathan Cylus, John A. Poisal, M. Kent Clemens, and Joseph Lizonitz National Health Spending In 2007: Slo... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3223225 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:53:43 +0100 3223225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3212297&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F27%2Ften-small-scale-reforms-for-pre-existing-chronic-conditions%2F Most proposals for dealing with the problems of pre-existing conditions would completely divorce health insurance premiums from expected health care costs. Yet a policy of trying to force health plans to take enrollees they do not want risks jeopardizing the quality of care they receive. Instead of suppressing the price system, I propose ten ways of dealing with this problem that make greater use of it. In a reformed health care system, the chronically ill along with their doctors, their employers and their insurers should all find lower-cost, higher-quality, more-accessible care in their economic self-interest. 1. Encourage Portable Insurance. In almost every state, employers are not allowed to buy the kind of insurance employees most want and need: Insurance they own and can take with th... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3212297 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:59:16 +0100 3212297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3178751&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F16%2Frequiring-employers-to-contribute-to-health-coverage-for-workers%2F Almost three out of five Americans under age 65 have employment-based health insurance – but with costs rising, this coverage is under serious pressure. Congress is now finalizing plans to require more employers to contribute to coverage for their workers. The latest Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) examines this issue, known as the employer mandate, and explains how proposed legislation would expand job-based health insurance. Some of the issues the brief discusses: Why major employers as diverse as Walmart and the AFL-CIO have endorsed a proposed employer mandate – and why an equally diverse range of organizations have opposed it. The history of employer mandates and “pay or play” proposals. The differences bet... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3178751 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 05:58:22 +0100 3178751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3175842&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F14%2Fwellness-programs-and-diabetes-costs%2F Two Web-First articles published today by Health Affairs analyze factors driving medical spending and the potential of certain strategies to curtail spending growth.  One study evaluates the evidence on workplace wellness programs and finds that the medical savings outweigh the costs for employers.  The second breaks new ground by developing a Cost of Diabetes Model and reporting that the national economic burden of that disease to have reached $218 billion. Workplace Wellness Programs Can Generate Savings By Katherine Baicker, David Cutler, and Zirui Song, all of Harvard With investment in disease prevention and wellness viewed as promising ways to achieve better heath and lower medical costs, workplace-based wellness programs are much touted in policy discussions.  The authors co... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3175842 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:21:53 +0100 3175842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3153344&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F05%2Fhealth-affairs-examines-long-term-services-and-support%2F Congress is now debating whether to include in health reform a new program to help people pay for long-term care services and supports. At this propitious time, leading experts explore critical policy issues related to long-term care in a series of articles in the January 2010 edition of Health Affairs. (As of this issue, Health Affairs also moves from a bimonthly to a monthly publication in a substantially redesigned format.) The articles suggest that providing affordable, high-quality long-term care to the elderly and disabled continues to present formidable challenges to policymakers. This issue is funded by the SCAN Foundation and was released at a briefing on January 5 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act is ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3153344 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:25:17 +0100 3153344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3145946&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F05%2Fhealth-affairs-examines-long-term-services-and-support%2F Congress is now debating whether to include in health reform a new program to help people pay for long-term care services and supports. At this propitious time, leading experts explore critical policy issues related to long-term care in a series of articles in the January 2010 edition of Health Affairs. (As of this issue, Health Affairs also moves from a bimonthly to a monthly publication in a substantially redesigned format.) The articles suggest that providing affordable, high-quality long-term care to the elderly and disabled continues to present formidable challenges to policymakers. This issue is funded by the SCAN Foundation and was released at a briefing on January 5 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act is ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3145946 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:25:17 +0100 3145946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2912150&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F10%2F20%2Fare-higher-value-care-models-replicable%2F Discussion Employers such as Boeing typically lack a sufficient population with severe chronic illness in any one location to power a statistically robust analysis of change in total per capita health care spending. However, the 20% magnitude of spending reduction, net of the supplemental fees paid to participating physician groups, aligns with peer-reviewed findings recently reported for similar care models by Geisinger, Johns Hopkins, and other researchers. Taken together, these reports support the proposition that judicious intensification of primary care for the severely chronically ill can both improve health and lower total per capita health care spending. Boeing’s results carry three important implications for lowering per capita health care spending while improving the health of... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2912150 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:24:59 +0100 2912150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2912151&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F10%2F20%2Fexamining-the-links-between-chronic-illness-and-uninsurance%2F This study analyzed data taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2006, focusing on those ages 18-64. According to their findings, 46.0 percent of those without insurance were previously unaware of their condition — as opposed to roughly half that number (23.2 percent) of those with insurance. Said the authors, “The elevated risk of very poor diabetes control among the uninsured . . . is worrisome, given evidence of higher costs and elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality with increasing HbA1c [hemoglobin A1c] levels. This finding suggests that insuring uninsured diabetics might reduce future health costs and rates of these complications.” More discussion of the work by Wilper and coauthors can be found on the NPR He... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2912151 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:32:25 +0100 2912151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862457&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F10%2F05%2Fcreating-the-virtual-integrated-delivery-system%2F Conclusions A third of the growth health care spending since 1990 is associated with the doubling of obesity and rise in associated chronic conditions. Reversing or at least slowing the rise in incidence and prevalence of chronic disease is critical to better health and reduced health spending over the long term. Better managing existing disease is as well. Episodic, uncoordinated care is ineffective and inefficient for patients like most Medicare beneficiaries who have multiple, chronic comorbidities. A body of research-based evidence shows that practice changes, such as transitional care, patient coaching, and community-based lifestyle change interventions like the adapted DPP protocol, produce better health outcomes and can reduce health spending. A mounting body of practice-based evide... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862457 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:36:57 +0100 2862457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820182&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F22%2Fcortese-on-reform-the-hard-part-is-the-delivery-system%2F As anyone who has been observing recent goings-on in the Senate Finance Committee knows, moving toward universal coverage is no easy matter. No sooner did Finance Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) release his long-awaited Chairman’s mark of health reform legislation than he was pushed to increase the subsidies available to low- and middle-income Americans to purchase insurance. But as hard as health insurance reform is, compared to health care delivery reform, that’s the easy part, Mayo Clinic CEO Denis Cortese said at the National Press Club on Friday. Cortese has been a key player in health reform discussions. Mayo has been frequently cited as a model for health care delivery reform by President Obama and others, but the question of Mayo’s value as a model for overall reform has also genera... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820182 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:02:42 +0100 2820182 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653686&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F07%2F29%2Fobesity-spending-estimated-at-147-billion-annually%2F Medical spending on conditions associated with obesity has doubled in the past decade and is estimated to have reached an annual rate of $147 billion in 2008, say researchers in a new study published July 27 on the Health Affairs Web site. The study was presented at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Weight of the Nation” conference in Washington, where the CDC issued 24 new recommendations on how communities can fight back. In the Health Affairs study, researchers from RTI International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality warn that U.S. obesity rates grew 37 percent between 1998 and 2006.  Obesity now accounts for 9.1 percent of all medical spending, up from 6.5 percent in 1998. The... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653686 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:00:03 +0100 2653686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424054&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F05%2F20%2Fbeyond-the-public-plan-debate-a-pathway-to-transform-the-delivery-system%2F Discussion There is substantial debate among Democrats about whether a public-plan option is a critical component of health reform; Republicans seem unified in opposing the idea. The “public plan” proposals are focused largely on expanding the population with coverage and on controlling federal costs. The proposal below focuses more on transforming the system to slow the growth in all health care costs. By doing so, it can facilitate the savings and political compromises necessary to allow coverage expansions. The two options are the “strong” and the “weak” versions of a public plan, referring not to the strength of the proposals, but the power of the public plan. The “strong” version, as advocated by Jacob Hacker, among others, is a near-clone of Medicare adapted for those... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424054 Wed, 20 May 2009 12:01:48 +0100 2424054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2087161&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F01%2F07%2Fout-of-pocket-payments-up-chronic-illness-key-driver%2F A rise in chronic disease, particularly among baby boomers and older adults, was a key driver of the fact that consumers spent about 40 percent more out of pocket for health care in 2005 than in 1996, researchers report in the January/February 2009 issue of Health Affairs, a thematic volume on chronic illness. The study shows that the [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2087161 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:30:14 +0100 2087161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1961070&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2008%2F11%2F14%2Fprimary-care-divergent-paths-in-us-and-abroad%2F The contrast could hardly have been more sharp. In a week when The New England Journal of Medicine published a series of perspectives exhorting the United States to reinvent primary care before it collapses, speakers at the annual international symposium of The Commonwealth Fund emphasized how primary care physicians formed the critical core of health-care [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1961070 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:27:57 +0100 1961070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1834797&cid=t_167477_113_f&fid=35744&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fe-CareManagement%2F%7E3%2F403962167%2F This morning the Disease Management Care Blog brought an interesting toolkit to my attention. It was published by AHRQ in August 2008, so it’s very recent. This toolkit describes how to implement the Chronic Care Model (CCM) in your medical practice. The CCM is embedded in the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model and can be consider a foundational element of the PCMH. I would call this toolkit “The Medical Home for Dummies, Vol. I”, but then I’m sure the Dummies copyright police would knock on my front door, so I won’t. Here are a few more details: (more…) (Source: e-CareManagement) e-CareManagement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1834797 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:29:45 +0100 1834797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580324&cid=t_167477_113_f&fid=35744&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fe-CareManagement%2F%7E3%2F0e1IflBRcEA%2F This morning the Disease Management Care Blog brought an interesting toolkit to my attention. It was published by AHRQ in August 2008, so it’s very recent. This toolkit describes how to implement the Chronic Care Model (CCM) in your medical practice. The CCM is embedded in the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model and can be consider a foundational element of the PCMH. I would call this toolkit “The Medical Home for Dummies, Vol. I”, but then I’m sure the Dummies copyright police would knock on my front door, so I won’t. Here are a few more details: (more…) (Source: e-CareManagement) e-CareManagement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580324 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:48:24 +0100 2580324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2511440&cid=t_167477_113_f&fid=35744&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fe-CareManagement%2F%7E3%2F0e1IflBRcEA%2F This morning the Disease Management Care Blog brought an interesting toolkit to my attention. It was published by AHRQ in August 2008, so it’s very recent. This toolkit describes how to implement the Chronic Care Model (CCM) in your medical practice. The CCM is embedded in the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model and can be consider a foundational element of the PCMH. I would call this toolkit “The Medical Home for Dummies, Vol. I”, but then I’m sure the Dummies copyright police would knock on my front door, so I won’t. Here are a few more details: (more…) (Source: e-CareManagement) e-CareManagement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2511440 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:48:24 +0100 2511440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1192911&cid=t_167477_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2008%2F01%2F31%2Fhuckabee-style-health-reform-morally-and-physically-fit%2F Back in November, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee wrote a remarkably candid essay for a special election issue of the trade journal Modern Healthcare. Since then, the former Arkansas governor’s campaign has morphed from single-digit obscurity to mainstream prominence, and the candor on health care has mostly been scrubbed clean from his Web site. Nonetheless, [...] (Source: Health Affairs Blog) Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1192911 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:33:07 +0100 1192911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462977&cid=t_167477_114_f&fid=34646&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthcarebloglaw.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F01%2Fthoughts-on-transforming-health-care-in.html Included in the handout materials at last week's WVHIN board meeting was a copy of a article appearing in Health Care's Most Wired Magazine by fellow board member, Sarah Chouinard, M.D.The article, Transforming Health Care In West Virginia, provides a glimpse of the efforts to improve the health status of rural West Virginia residents in Clay County, West Virginia (on West Virginia's poorest counties) where Dr. Chouinard practices. The article mentions the West Virginia Medicaid Redesign Program, which builds on a 2005 demo project based on a modified version of the Chronic Care Model developed by Ed Wagner, M.D. Dr. Chouindard was involved in the 2005 demo project at her facility, Primary Care Systems in Clay, West Virginia.The article provides a "real life" example of what one physician ... Health Care Law Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462977 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 06:30:00 +0100 462977