Survey: Few ACOs Ready For Financial Risk
Few hospitals interested in becoming accountable care organizations are ready to take on financial risk, according to a survey released Friday from The Commonwealth Fund. “We’re really still at the very beginning of the adoption curve of the ACO model,” says lead author Anne-Marie Audet, who researches health system quality and efficiency at Commonwealth. “The […]
‘Child Life Specialists’ Help Sick Kids Be Kids
Child life specialists help sick children and their families navigate difficult medical situations emotionally and psychologically while in the hospital.
Once Focus of Health Law, Some In Poverty May Be Left Out
Mississippi family’s insurance problems could remain if state decides to follow Supreme Court’s option to decline Medicaid expansion.
Teaching Doctors About The Cost Of Care
All new doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, promising to care for their patients to the best of their abilities. But what does that mean in terms of the cost of that care, when medical debt accounts for more than 60 percent of personal bankruptcies in the United States? The fee-for-service payment system has long rewarded doctors […]
ACO Rollout Continues With 89 New Networks
The next round of accountable care organizations is out at last. On Monday, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the selection of 89 new ACOs. That’s more than triple the number of ACOs selected in the previous round. As of July 1, the newly anointed networks became responsible for providing better, cheaper […]
6:11 p.m.: It’s been a long long day, and Atticus Finch, Esq., the Affordable Care Cat, is pooped. We’re going to wrap up for the day, but thanks so much for joining us here on the KHN live blog. It’s been swell. 6:04 p.m.: Governors from all sorts of states respond to the health law […]
New Rules Will Ban ER Debt Collections At Charitable Hospitals
On Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department released new proposed rules to protect patients from abusive debt collection practices at nonprofit hospitals.
FDA Seeks To Tame Exploding Medical App Market
The market has been something of an unregulated Wild West; for doctors and patients alike, it is difficult to know which apps actually live up to their health claims or provide accurate information.
The Downside Of Health Care Job Growth
Health care employment has been the bright spot in the otherwise lackluster recent jobs reports. As overall employment decreased by 2 percent from 2000 to 2010, employment in the health care sector actually increased by 25 percent. But that’s not necessarily a good thing, according to an opinion piece published in the most recent edition of the […]
Study: Privately Insured Kids Get More Care In ED
Emergency departments are required to treat everyone who comes through the doors, but that doesn’t mean they treat everyone the same way. Insurance coverage may play a major role in the kind of care a young patient receives, according to a study published in the most recent edition of The Journal of Pediatrics. Children with […]
Ain’t No Sunshine Yet For Docs
Under the new health law, the payments and freebies given to doctors by drug and medical device companies must be made public on the Web. But not quite yet. CMS has announced that the agency will not require companies to collect transparency data before January 1, 2013. The new timeline is a delay from the […]
Sued Over An $1,800 Hospital Bill
Charity care at nonprofit hospitals is scrutinized by state and federal officials, as hospitals go to great lengths to collect unpaid debts from patients.
ACOs Multiply As Medicare Announces 27 New Ones
A key provision of the health law supports the creation of organizations intended to improve quality of care and to restrain rising costs.
Measuring Health County-By-County
Wondering how your county measures up on health? The 2012 County Health Rankings are out this week from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The rankings assess the health of nearly every county in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and they allow you to compare […]
Doctors’ Smartphones And iPads May Be Distracting
Doctors who carry mobile devices are often hit with a flurry of texts, e-mails, Facebook messages and tweets that sometimes keep them from patients’ needs.
Sheriff: State Mental Health Cuts Undermine Public Safety
As states have struggled to balance their budgets during the economic downturn, mental health programs have frequently weathered significant cuts. Three-quarters of states have cut their mental health budgets during each of the past four fiscal years, for a combined reduction of $4.35 billion, according to the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors […]
Health IT Chief Disputes Study On EHR Testing, Costs
A study published in the journal Health Affairs this week found that doctors who use electronic health records may order more diagnostic testing, and therefore drive up the cost of health care, despite claims to the contrary by the federal government and health IT industry. Now, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, national coordinator for health information technology, […]
Study: E-Health Records Don’t Deter Testing, Spending
Electronic health records have long been touted by Democrats and Republicans alike as a sure-fire way to lower health spending. When doctors have easy electronic access to a patient’s records, advocates argue, they are less likely to order the duplicative and unnecessary tests that drive up the cost of health care in America. But that […]
The High Cost Of A Good Night’s Sleep
Diagnosing sleep apnea, which has been shown to increase the risk of serious illnesses, is a big business. Critics worry, though, that sleep tests are overprescribed at great cost to the health system.
The Income Penalty For Diabetes: $160,000
A young person with diabetes could earn an average of $160,000 less over their lifetime compared to someone without the disease, according to a study published in the most recent issue of the journal Health Affairs. Adolescents with diabetes are also more likely to drop out of high school than their peers — a more pronounced […]
