Are Virtual Doctor Visits Really Cost-Effective? Not So Much, Study Says
Rand Corp. finds that telehealth encourages patients to seek care for minor illnesses they wouldn’t bother to make an office visit for, raising overall health costs.
Cost Transparency
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Patient Advocacy Groups Rake In Donations From Pharma
A new study shows that 83 percent of the largest patient advocacy groups take contributions from drug, medical device or biotech firms.
By Emily Kopp -
Candidates Decry High Drug Prices, But They Have Few Options For Voters
Drug prices rise for a variety of reasons but opportunities for the government to control them is limited.
By Julie Rovner -
Tossing Unused Surgical Supplies Wastes Millions Of Dollars, Study Finds
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco estimate that hospitals could lose nearly $1,000 per surgery by throwing away opened but unused supplies, such as gloves and sponges.
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California Drug Price Measure Fiercely Opposed By Pharmaceutical Industry
Proposed legislation would require drugmakers to disclose and justify price hikes. The industry has taken to Facebook and Twitter, warning that the proposal could lead to medication shortages in some regions of the state.
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Zooming In On Millennials
Zoom, a medical group and insurer, is targeting millennials in Oregon and Washington with quick, accessible care as well as fitness, yoga and cooking classes.
By Anna Gorman -
Rise In Oncologists Working For Hospitals Spurs Higher Chemo Costs: Study
Researchers found that the facility fees hospitals and their clinics routinely add to the bill helps drive the price increases.
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Prices And Health Care Quality: Many Consumers Don’t See A Link
A study in the journal Health Affairs found a majority of people don't associate price and quality in health care services.
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Surprise! Here’s Another Bill For That ‘Paramedic Response’
California cities increasingly are billing patients for paramedic services that they say were not covered by insurers. One 85-year-old woman took on city hall.
By Anna Gorman -
Consumer And Research Groups Release Cancer Guides For Patients
Families USA and the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review are collaborating on a series of patient guides on treatment and screenings.
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Even With ‘Skin In The Game,’ Health Care Shoppers Are Not More Savvy
High-deductible health plans don’t necessarily trigger comparison shopping or informed health care choices by consumers, according to a survey published in Tuesday’s JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Five Things Young Adults Should Know About Buying Health Insurance
Open enrollment under Obamacare started Nov. 1 – if you’re uninsured, now’s the time to consider options.
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No Ready-Made Rx For Rising Drug Costs
Lawmakers, insurers and others have floated proposals to combat the spike in prescription drug prices, but will any of them gain traction?
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N.Y. Attorney General Reaches Agreement With Urgent Care Clinics In First ‘Surprise Medical Bill’ Action
The clinics have agreed to disclose more fully which health insurance plans consider them “in network.”
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Medical Prices Higher In Areas Where Large Doctor Groups Dominate, Study Finds
Researchers report that prices for a dozen procedures and tests were 8 to 26 percent higher in counties with the highest level of physicians concentrated in large group practices.
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Buyer Beware: A Mammogram’s Price Can Vary By Nearly $1,000, Study Finds
Researchers looked at women’s health services around the country and found stark disparities between cities but also within health care markets.
By Jordan Rau -
Think Health Prices Are High Near You? Maybe Yes — And No
The Health Care Cost Institute’s analysis of billing claims from three of the biggest commercial insurers finds that health services can be expensive in some areas while bargains in others. The findings complicate an assumption about health care markets.
By Jordan Rau -
Attention Shoppers: New Calif. Website Details Costs, Quality of Medical Procedures
Seeking to create smarter consumers, the California insurance department unveils a website showing wide variation in costs and quality of medical services across the state.
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New Heart Failure Treatments Would Drive Up Short-Term Health Spending, Report Says
In an analysis, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review concluded that price cuts are needed to control the budgetary impact.
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The Hospital Is In Network, But Not The Doctor: N.Y. Tries New Balance Billing Law
Consumers in New York are getting new protections against “balance billing,” where insurers bill patients for the difference between what insurers pay and what providers want, and states considering similar laws are watching closely.