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 'expenses'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:11:29 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159283&cid=t_139612_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F42OlfYrK2Vg%2F This is the start of a new series of posts that I plan to do over the next week or two. I’ll probably try and space them out so that they don’t overwhelm anyone. However, it’s going to be a series of common EMR implementation issues that I hear over and over again. This series was prompted by a post on HIStalk by Inga where she talked about her visit to the doctor and his complaints about his EHR implementation. As I read through the list of complaints, I realized that they were all complaints that I’d heard before. If I’ve heard them all before, then they must be pretty common and worth talking about more. Ideally the discussions in this EMR implementation series will help practices and doctors that are implementing an EMR to avoid these issues. I also know t... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159283 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:45:47 +0100 5159283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960067&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwho-is-responsible-for-the-hospital-bills-of-prisoners%2F2011.06.22 Are government entities required to pay the hospital bills of incarcerated prisoners?  This is a scenario that happens quite often.  Jailed patients are admitted onto the hospitalist service through the ER for anything from patients faking seizures in the ER to chest pain to drug overdoses.  When patients are under the custody of the city, state or federal system, those entities are required to pay for necessary acute health care services.  I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with a prisoner’s constitutional right.  You lose your right to vote, but not to get a liver transplant. So what happens? Jailed patients get admitted and guards, sometimes, one, two or three at a time, are required to be at the patient’s bedside 24 hours a day.  If the patient needs to ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960067 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:00:00 +0100 4960067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921420&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fphysicians-must-do-their-part-to-reduce-unnecessary-hospital-expenses%2F2011.06.10 Hospital costs are out of control. We have an aging population living longer with more complicated presentation of disease. We have an insurance driven platform instead of a health driven accountability. The long term sustainability of that architecture is one of guaranteed insolvency. One way or another hospitals are going to find their lifeline cut off. Medicaid is bankrupt. Hospital profit margins from Medicare have been negative for almost a decade. In addition, the rapid rise in private insurance premiums and industry’s gradual but accelerating exit from the health insurance benefit market all tell me that hospitals must find a way to reduce the cost of providing care. There are many ways hospital costs can be reduced. Administrators are paid handsomely to make it happen. Either... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921420 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:00:00 +0100 4921420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4797771&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmore-medical-waste-does-a-6000-flashlight-improve-patient-outcomes%2F2011.05.07 So I’m rounding in the ICU the other day when I came upon this new hospital medical device.  It’s called a pupillometer.  What does this pupillometer do?  It  measures subtle changes in the light reflex of the pupil to help take the physical exam to the next level of precision. Or eliminate it, depending on how you look at it.  What used to be a basic physical exam skill is now being replaced by a $6000 piece of medical technology that can distinguish tiny changes in pupil size. Now the real questions remain.  Has this pupillometer device gone through the rigors of randomized trials in the ICU to define whether a  $6000 flashlight changes outcomes or mortality?   And if not, how do we allow medications to require such testing but not the technology that often changes n... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797771 Sun, 08 May 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4797771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4219744&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedicares-deficit-effect-on-the-economy%2F2010.12.01 Medicare poses a deficit problem, note some very influential analysts. A former Congressional Budget Office head and a former Medicare chief chime in on the scope of the program’s impact on the economy, and the difficulties of trying to scale it back. Yet, a presidential commission is considering just that among other measures. The 18-member, bipartisan commission released its report weeks ago and was scheduled to have voted today on a shocking scope of deficit-trimming measures that included changes to military spending, Social Security and Medicare, among other areas. But they deferred the vote until Friday to try to garner more votes from members who are also currently elected officials. The panel needs 14 votes and substantive approval from its roster of Congress members to gain ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4219744 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4219744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175748&cid=t_139612_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FPkXJdk2JwJA%2Frationing.html Do you recall the severe rationing of food and water the Chilean miners had to endure to survive?   The rationing was done to stretch their limited resources. I would argue the state of Arizona’s new policy to not cover organ transplants for patients on Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) or their version of Medicaid is a similar form of rationing. AHCCCS, as many Medicaid programs, is underfunded.  They are trying to operate on a limited budget.  Something has to give. Sadly in this case, many (NPR reports 98) had already been granted approval for organ transplants which they may not receive.  Francisco Felix, 32, who due to Hepatitis C needs a liver transplant, is reported to have made it to the operating room, prepped and ready for his life-s... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175748 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:02:49 +0100 4175748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3972917&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpractice-medicine-for-a-year-rack-up-a-half-million-in-overhead%2F2010.09.15 Newly minted MDs face student loans the sizes of mortgages and might go 18 months without an income if they try to start up their own practice. And although in the words of one student, “Medicine shouldn’t be treated like a business,” physicians still have to operate their practices like one. That’s resulted in one doctor facing a half-million in operating expenses every year in Manhattan. A half-dozen other new physicians describe their first years in practice in these two profiles, while a third details how Leslie Saltzman, ACP Member, took advantage of some resources on hand and guidance from ACP’s “Running a Practice” section to quickly grow her solo practice into a full-service resource for women’s health. (New York Post, Kaiser Health News, ACP... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3972917 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0100 3972917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3542912&cid=t_139612_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FHpggb5ZV2K0%2F One of my favorite posts on this blog is the one that is titled “It’s Ok to Spend Money on Stuff You Love”, simply because it vindicates my position in the standoff that I currently have going on with my spouse. I feel that it’s ok to spend on the things that we both enjoy while he insists that they’re frivolous expenses and that we need to save our money for the future. While I see the wisdom in his point of view, I also feel that the money we earn after much hardship and struggle is best used in a timely manner. For example, going away on a much-needed vacation will definitely drain our bank balance by quite a number of dollars. But I feel that it’s money spent on a worthwhile cause, especially because we’re both still young enough to feel and experience the romance of trav... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3542912 Fri, 07 May 2010 03:49:08 +0100 3542912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529789&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthblawg.typepad.com%2Ffiles%2Fgeorge-pantos-hpm-institute-healthblawg-interview-with-david-harlow-042110.mp3 Healthcare costs are a perennial issue for employers and employees. There are a variety of approaches out there designed to improve health status and health outcomes and reduce costs at the same time. Proponents of a variety of approaches have been featured here on HealthBlawg in the past.  I recently had the opportunity to speak with George Pantos, of the Healthcare Performance Management Institute, a brand-new organization on the scene, founded by a group of folks who have developed tools for managing these costs. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529789 Mon, 03 May 2010 17:00:33 +0100 3529789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354321&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FJIMisnOmNIc%2F By Stephanie Cohen. This month’s health insurance nightmare: You believe the cost of your policy is too high and the benefits too low. The situation: Sara E. was looking at new insurance options because she was concerned that her current policy cost too much and covered too little. A case in point was a recent eye exam. She had to pay for the appointment because she hadn’t yet met the $1000 deductible on her current policy. The solution: It was clear that Sara did not understand the details of the policy she had purchased. It’s not unusual, but can prove problematic. In fact, we recommend that all of our customers make a list of the medical services they will likely need throughout the year. Before buying anything, we tell them to read the fine print on the policy and ask... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354321 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:14:15 +0100 3354321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2981059&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fh4X6tW4plBo%2F Justin Logan beat me to the punch, but Robert Kagan and Dan Blumenthal’s op-ed in the Washington Post warrants more than just one comment. Kagan and Blumenthal fret that the Obama administration’s policy of “strategic reassurance” is sure to fail. Aimed at encouraging Russia and China, especially, to cooperate with the United States in dealing with a number of common threats, the two predict that the policy will succeed only in making “American allies nervous.” Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Not that we should go around making our allies nervous just for the heck of it, but I worry that our allies have grown, well, too comfortable with the current state of affairs in which American taxpayers and American troops bear a disproportionate ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2981059 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:32:27 +0100 2981059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778411&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FTHXqj_4SR6M%2F Do you ever wonder who the champion advocate for the patient is in the healthcare reform debate? More importantly, is the focus on consumer choice taking a front seat while the issue of how consumers will ultimately respond to those choices is being ignored? Many people, myself included, believe that in aggregate, individuals are best equipped to advocate for themselves. In fact, this hypothesis forms the foundation for a key component of Health 2.0, in which the consumer takes more responsibility for managing his or her healthcare and by default, the delivery of that care becomes more fluid and cost-effective. The rub, however, is that data suggest that most consumers of healthcare rarely if ever speak up. A fascinating report published in the September issue of Milbank Quarterly shows th... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778411 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:05:50 +0100 2778411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458415&cid=t_139612_134_f&fid=35152&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsstrumello.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fdiabetes-bankruptcy-average-diabetes.html My career in involves a lot of time doing research online looking for statistics, etc., so I spend a lot of time on the Internet. My own day-to-day diabetes care is a factor more often than I would like it to be, but that's just the way things are. But beyond my own daily care, it is not all the time that my research for work overlaps directly with diabetes. This is one such time. As someone who works as a consultant for the consumer finance industry (primarily banks, but I've done work for a range of other companies such as Sony, Disney, etc.) and it's long been a been common knowledge that medical bills have long been a major factor behind consumer bankruptcies. That part is not really news, even if it doesn't get mentioned nearly as often as it needs to in the debate over healthcare ref... Scott's Web Log blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458415 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:50:00 +0100 2458415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441305&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fwhen-does-righteous-indignation-become.html As a GP, I see a lot of patients with stress. From all walks of working life, including professionals. Nadine Dorries has been roundly criticised for suggesting the MPs are now under so much pressure that there could be a suicide. They have brought it upon themselves, you may say, and so they have. But the atmosphere that has been whipped up over three weeks by the Daily Telegraph is resembling the Salem witch hunts. The public are baying for blood. Some MPs are more culpable than others. There may be an underlying political agenda. Can someone explain why Mr & Mrs Balls been given such a soft ride when Julie Kirkbride and her husband have not? Can any MP now get a fair hearing from the media?Today, Iain Dale mounts a defence of Tory MP, Julie Kirkbride.  Or maybe it is more a plea i... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441305 Wed, 27 May 2009 10:51:00 +0100 2441305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441313&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fnadine-dorries-is-silenced.html Late last night I was reading reports that David Cameron was furious with Nadine Dorries for suggesting that MPs were stressed about having their venal expenses claims exposed in the Daily Telegraph. I went on to her website to find that her blog had been taken down. It was still, at the time, available in the Google cache and so I saved it. You may still catch it all here. It seemed likely that she had taken it down as a result of pressure from David Cameron. Poor old Nadine, heart in the right place, brain not in gear. I printed her last two articles and went to bed.Early this morning, (does he not go to bed like normal people?) Dizzy revleaded a much more worrying story. Nadine’s blog had been taken down, not by Tory Central Office, but by the Daily Telegraph lawyers.Nadine Dorries ha... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441313 Sat, 23 May 2009 19:01:00 +0100 2441313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441314&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fnadine-dorries-has-taken-her-blog-down.html Nadine DorriesGPs frequently see patients with acute anxiety problems and sometimes it is necessary, in order to diffuse matters, to sign them off work. Over the last year I have had two patients asking for a letter to say that they are so stressed that they cannot go, not to work, but to court. Both were facing relatively minor criminal charges. It's a stressful business going to court, particularly if you are, as my learned friends would say, banged to rights.Poor old Nadine - I do think her heart is in the right place - has once again got it wrong with her new position of the week. Last time, as regular NHS BLOG DOCTOR readers will remember, it was her idiosyncratic views on sex education. This time, it is her worries that MPs are finding the Daily Telegraph revelations stressful. Well,... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441314 Fri, 22 May 2009 23:30:00 +0100 2441314 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2416854&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fprince-and-pauper.html Why is it that the "great and the (not so) good" openly criticise rule breakers and yet feel that they themselves are not only above the rules but also beyond criticism?Details of Gordon Brown’s recent weekly meeting with the Queen have been leaked.The Queen has told Gordon Brown she is worried that the scandalous revelations about MPs' expenses could damage Parliament. She discussed the explosion of public outrage over the scandal in what is understood to have been a candid exchange of views when she met the Prime Minister for their weekly audience at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.SourceDoes Her Majesty not have any insight? Her income, expenditure and tax liabilities remain swathed in secrecy.  She now, grudgingly, pays some income tax, but let’s not mention inheritance tax. And she ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2416854 Sun, 17 May 2009 09:19:00 +0100 2416854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405135&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fstephen-fry-bi-polar-broadcasts.html Wat Tyler exposes a piece of fulminating hypocrisy from our much loved national treasure, Stephen Fry.Which Fry do you prefer? This one, or this one?The two Frys neatly bookend twelve years of New Labour government. The first, young and suave, but the second…well, what can I say? He looks shagged out. As is the government.Dr Crippen likes Stephen Fry. Who does not? But I do wish he would shut up about bi-polar illness. He seems to portray it as really rather fun. Maybe it is when you are a multi-millionaire celebrity and are being seen and treated by the private psychiatrist of your choice.  Life is not like that for my patients who suffer from this disease. How many of them get a routine head scan?I wish Fry would do a documentary on an “ordinary” citizen with bi-polar depression a... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405135 Tue, 12 May 2009 13:52:00 +0100 2405135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398645&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fhealth-ministers-have-been-feeding-at.html Ben Bradshaw and Phil Hope with colleaguesMuch sport is to be had looking at MPs' expenses. It is always easy to attack the status quo, but this is a turkey shoot. They are all “at it”, some more than others, and even the saintly Dennis Skinner has made some claims.Two junior health care ministers, Ben Bradshaw and Phil Hope, feature in tomorrow’s Daily Telegraph story. Tories should enjoy it whilst they can, for next week they will be under the microscope. And then, before the furore dies down, it will be the Lib Dems. What has been done has been done within the rules. The rules are flexible and allow for much feeding at the trough.For sure, the rules need to be changed. Secretarial and administrative support should be provided but not be a back door through which MPs’ families ca... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398645 Fri, 08 May 2009 22:22:00 +0100 2398645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382263&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fjt8ueD1mI9A%2F The welfare state has long been one of the most potent arguments for additional restrictions on our freedom.  For instance, you must wear a motorcycle helmet because if you splatter yourself all over the highway the rest of us will be paying your medical expenses.  One of the factors considered by New Zealand in ruling on applications from would-be immigrants is health.  If you are fat — and thus at risk for various health conditions — forget it! Reports the Daily Telegraph: The 51-year-old, who has not been named, argued that her 52 inch waistline was no obstacle to her work as a nurse, which involved 60-hour weeks. She was offered a job in a home and hospital for the elderly in a provincial town in New Zealand, documents from the country’s Residence Review Board said, and a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382263 Fri, 01 May 2009 11:55:08 +0100 2382263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2463561&cid=t_139612_180_f&fid=38602&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.armstrongmethod.com%2Fblog%2Fmichelle%25e2%2580%2599s-top-5-tips-to-surviving-economic-uncertainty%2F Many of you have emailed me recently wanting to know how you can survive the recession. While I’m no expert on these matters, I thought it might be helpful to share some of the action items my family and I are taking to ensure our survival. Give them a whirl. See if they work for you. Tip #1 - Reduce Your Expenses Make a list of all your expenses. Go through your list and eliminate any expense that’s not absolutely necessary to your survival. Then go through each expense you deem necessary and see if there’s a way you can cut that expenses down even further. Tip #2 - Maintain a Positive Attitude Worrying about whether or not you’ll still have a roof over head next week can be super stressful and can cause sleepless nights. Try to avoid focusing on negative outcomes ... Armstrong Method blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2463561 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:14:13 +0100 2463561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1374007&cid=t_139612_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Frlbatesmd.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fit-costs-how-much.html Do you remember this splint that I was told to wear (and did for a week) when I had acute olecranon bursitis? Well, I got my bill recently and was shocked by how expensive the splint was! If I had been told how much it was going to be, I swear I would have left without it. I would have used the "soft" elbow pad and made myself a plaster splint to protect my elbow from being bumped for that week. Here's the breakdown of the medical bill. For some reason, all of the charges had been billed to insurance EXCEPT the splint charge. I asked that it be submitted.ServiceDescription of ServiceChargeInsurance AllowedPatient to Pay99204Office/New Patient$229.02$140.38$140.3873070X-Ray Exam$73.92$33.12$33.1297760Orthotic (OT)Management$40.00$36.00$36.00L3763Rigid Elbow Splint$773.33?????? (Source: Sutu... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1374007 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:25:00 +0100 1374007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=797933&cid=t_139612_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F08%2F14%2Ftry-cutting-your-health-care-bills%2F Filed under: All Cancers, Daily newsHealth care is expensive, even for those with insurance. My treatment with the breast cancer drug Herceptin cost $5,000 every three weeks for 52 weeks. Insurance paid 80 percent; I was responsible for 20. That's $1,000 every three weeks. Not exactly affordable.What many of us don't know is that we can play an active role in cutting our health care bills. We can shop around for everything, for example. Before filling a prescription, consider comparing prices offered at mail-order and online pharmacies with those of larger retailers. You may even find that mom and pop shops offer competitive rates since they can set their own pricing. Don't forget about generic drugs too. Ask your doctor if a generic version of your medication is just as good as a brand na... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=797933 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 797933