WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Policymakers and lawmakers alike took note of the third anniversary of the Affordable Care Act this week -- either criticizing or celebrating President Obama's signature healthreform law.
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Improperly aligned incentives and motivations could undermine healthcare reform efforts by being either ineffective or leading physicians toward economics and away from patients' interest, a perspective piece stated.
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Higher-than-expected costs for the Affordable Care Act's preexisting condition risk pool are a sign that the law will cost more than first expected, according to some lawmakers and analysts.
The smoke has settled, the votes are in, and health reform is real. We’ve all heard about the supposed benefits and drawbacks of the reform package, which includes new rules on coverage for insurers, a mandate that almost every uninsured American citizen get coverage, new taxes, and cuts in Medicare. While others debate whether reform will lead to a healthier and fairer America, or to its ruin, we know you’re concerned about how the new landscape will affect you and your practice.
The short answer: It won’t affect you much in the short-term but could impact you considerably down the road. Click through the timeline to review what happens when.
David B. Nash, MD, MBA, the Dr Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy and founding dean of the Jefferson School of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, provides an expert’s perspective on 2 issues in the current health care debate that are of particular concern to PCPs.
Young and optimistic, this chief resident at Swedish Family Medicine Residency, Denver, Colo., describes her vision of how healthcare now demands more partnerships and community point of view.
David B. Nash, MD, MBA, the Dr Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy and founding dean of the Jefferson School of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, provides an expert’s perspective on 2 issues in the current health care debate that are of particular concern to PCPs.
Hear an interview with Ted Rosen, MD, professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine, and chief of Dermatology Service at Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston. Dr Rosen has a keen interest in current healthcare reform; he recently attended a summit in Washington with a group of think-tank leaders who are at the forefront of reform efforts.
Between 50% and 80% of people with mental disorders smoke cigarettes. Are the tobacco companies targeting this population, and are mental health care facilities promoting the use of tobacco? What are psychiatrists' responsibilities in the overall health of their patient? More »
NEW YORK—In an age when hospital stays are shorter and acute diseases more chronic, family caregivers are increasingly seen as extensions of the health care system. Yet often they receive scant preparation from health care providers and little support or understanding from their employers. Establishing programs to help caregivers was the subject of a Cancer Care, Inc. teleconference. More »
WASHINGTON—The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has backed off from plans to reduce Medicare payments for chemotherapy agents administered in outpatient settings. More »
No firm starting date as competitive group emergesThe large group of medical equipment and products companies that make up the Global Health Care Exchange still plan to go online sometime this fall but have put back the date. They hope to reach 40 More »
ROCKVILLE, Md—Three new research centers will focus on how market forces affect the quality of health care, access to it, and its cost. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) expects to support the centers with grants totaling $12.5 million over the next 5 years. The three centers are located at Harvard Medical School, University of California, San Francisco, and RAND, Santa Monica, California. More »
Internal medicine doctors train predominantly in our high-tech academic medical centers, yet most will provide outpatient care. Here, Dr Andrew-Morris Singer frames one of modern healthcare’s greatest disconnects.
Recently, my wife and I received a gift certificate for one of our favorite restaurants, and we wasted no time in using it. The food and conversation were delightful, and the meal turned out to be exciting and enlightening on many levels. A patron of the restaurant, who was celebrating his 55th wedding anniversary, sustained a witnessed, public cardiac arrest. The experience led to an analysis of my involvement in the resuscitation.
Looking at contemporary medicine’s complex landscape, especially in regard to soaring costs, can make practitioners dizzy. For example, if primary care physicians were asked whether it is cost-efficient and reasonable to screen with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement for early-stage prostate cancer in men with terminal pancreatic cancer or to perform colonoscopy for early diagnosis of colon cancer in women with stage IV lung cancer, the answer would be a quick and uniform no. Unfortunately, a recent publication suggests that in the real world the answer has been yes, as disturbing and wasteful as that may be.
Since continuing technological advancements are going to add to rising costs (dialysis, for example, with more “baby boomers” coming of Medicare age), one has to wonder what the something is that “has to give” in the future.
We live in a litigious society. Unfortunately, that statement may be most accurate in the setting of medical practice. Did you know that 40% and 34% of family practice and general internists, respectively, have been sued for malpractice? One in seven primary care practitioners have been sued at least twice. A recent "Business of Medicine Report" offered some very helpful advice that may keep practitioners out of court.
In our last installment, we wrote globally about the nature and permanence of trends in physician payment models, particularly the shift from fee-for-service to fee-for-value. In our second communique, we will look specifically at major health plans with which physicians will be working and provide an overview of the payment methods, programs, and demonstrations affecting Michigan physicians and the healthcare delivery model.
Massachusetts law requires all residents to maintain a minimum level of health insurance, and rates of uninsurance in that state decreased from 6.4% in 2006 to 1.9% in 2010. The authors of this report assessed whether health insurance expansion was associated with use of mammography and earlier stage at breast cancer diagnosis.|By using a prereform/postreform design with a concurrent control (California), mammography rates in the last year were assessed using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey and the diagnosis of stage I (vs II/III/IV) breast cancers based on cancer registry data among women ages 41 to 64. Propensity score analyses were used to compare California women who were most similar to women in Massachusetts with Massachusetts women.|Among propensity-weighted cohorts, adjusted mammography rates in Massachusetts were 69.2% in 2006, 69.5% in 2008, and 69.0% in 2010. In California, the rates were 59% in 2006, 60.3% in 2008, and 56.2% in 2010 (P = .89 for
23288038 2013 01 04 2013 01 18 1538-3598 308 23 Dec 19 JAMA 2465-6 10.1001/jama.2012.45428 Harris Allen Group, Brookline, Massachusetts, USA. harris@harrisallengroup.com Allen Harris H Nobel Jeremy J JJ Burton Wayne N WN eng Journal Article United
Although there is consensus that early behavioral health interventions should be routinely incorporated into disaster response there is mixed evidence on which strategies are most effective and how best to deploy them.3 Furthermore best practices for surveillance for mental health problems and substance abuse during disasters remain largely undeveloped. Lessons from previous incidents suggest that preparation for and response to communities’ mental and psychosocial needs after a disaster require awareness of the expected ...
Article Types Perspective Research Health Policy Report Health Law Ethics and Human Rights ... Topics Implementation Cost of Health Care Medicare and Medicaid Insurance Coverage Health Care Delivery Reform Politics of Health Care Reform Health Information Technology Drugs Devices and the FDA Comparative Effectiveness Archives ...
those laws as violations of the Second Amendment. The lawsuit began ... Topics Implementation Cost of Health Care Medicare and Medicaid Insurance Coverage Health Care Delivery Reform Politics of Health Care Reform Health Information Technology Drugs Devices and the FDA Comparative Effectiveness Archives ...
Five Steps to Improving Patient Access Judy Capko, May 21, 2013 Patient access is getting increased attention through reform initiatives. Here are five steps you can take to make sure patients get appropriate access to care in your office.
Growing HIPAA Threat – Ignore Windows XP at Your Own Peril Marion K. Jenkins, May 21, 2013 Chances are good that you have some major ticking software time bombs lurking in your medical practice's computer environment, namely Windows XP and Server 2003.
Three Areas to Reduce Costs at Your Medical Practice Greg Mertz, May 19, 2013 By taking a hard look at reducing costs for staffing, overhead, and technology at your medical practice, you may see increased physician compensation.
Dos and Don’ts for Starting a Physician Blog Michael Woo-Ming, MD, May 18, 2013 Starting a physician blog can provide your medical practice with marketing benefits, but it's important to do it right.
Preparing for Reform's New Patients
Health Care Reform Resource Center
Health Policy Questions That Matter to PCPs
Recently, my wife and I received a gift certificate for one of our favorite restaurants, and we wasted no time in using it. The food and conversation were delightful, and the meal turned out to be exciting and enlightening on many levels. A patron of the restaurant, who was celebrating his 55th wedding anniversary, sustained a witnessed, public cardiac arrest. The experience led to an analysis of my involvement in the resuscitation.
Looking at contemporary medicine’s complex landscape, especially in regard to soaring costs, can make practitioners dizzy. For example, if primary care physicians were asked whether it is cost-efficient and reasonable to screen with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement for early-stage prostate cancer in men with terminal pancreatic cancer or to perform colonoscopy for early diagnosis of colon cancer in women with stage IV lung cancer, the answer would be a quick and uniform no. Unfortunately, a recent publication suggests that in the real world the answer has been yes, as disturbing and wasteful as that may be.
We live in a litigious society. Unfortunately, that statement may be most accurate in the setting of medical practice. Did you know that 40% and 34% of family practice and general internists, respectively, have been sued for malpractice? One in seven primary care practitioners have been sued at least twice. A recent "Business of Medicine Report" offered some very helpful advice that may keep practitioners out of court.
