Smoking and the ACA
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has created a wonderful laboratory for studying the impact of changes in healthcare policy. One of the more interesting papers on the topic appears in the latest Health Affairs (Evidence suggests that the ACA’s tobacco surcharges reduce insurance take-up and did not increase smoking cessation). (You’ll need a subscription to read the full article.)
Health plans can’t charge higher prices to people who are sicker, but they can tack on surcharges of up to 50 percent for tobacco users. States can limit or ban the surcharges, and some do. Not surprisingly, people subjected to...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 29, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Health plans Patients Policy and politics Research Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Health Wonk Review is up at Medicare Resources
The latest Health Wonk Review blog carnival is posted at Medicare Resources. There’s a Republican National Convention theme, so be prepared! (Source: Health Business Blog)
Source: Health Business Blog - July 22, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Announcements Blogs Policy and politics Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Health Wonk Review - upcoming hosts
--summer hiatus: one issue per month--
August 18 - Jason Shafrin - Healthcare Economist
Sept. 8 - TBD
Sept 22 - TBD
Oct 6 - Joe Paduda - Managed Care Matters
Oct 20 - TBD
Nov 3 - TBD
Nov 10 - Joe Paduda - Managed Care Matters Post-election special
Dec 1 - TBD
Dec 15 - Julie Ferguson - Workers Comp Insider
--Holiday hiatus-- (Source: Health Wonk Review)
Source: Health Wonk Review - July 21, 2016 Category: Health Management Source Type: blogs
New Health Wonk Review at medicareresources.org blog
Steve Anderson has posted Health Wonk Review for July 21, 2016, the Yuuuuuuuge Edition at medicareresources.org blog. (Source: Health Wonk Review)
Source: Health Wonk Review - July 21, 2016 Category: Health Management Source Type: blogs
Sutter’s Dr. David K. Butler on EMR-enabled transformation
https://healthbb.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/hbdew047-david-k-butler-7_20_16-12-40-pm1.mp3
Dr. David K. Butler
Dr. David K. Butler came to healthcare as a digital native, unwilling to accept the paper-based status quo. In about a decade he went from using Microsoft Word to make medical notes legible to being named Epic Systems Physician of the Year for his contributions to the field of EMR implementation and optimization.
Butler is VP of EHR Optimization and Transformation at Sutter Health. In this podcast interview, I asked him to share his opinions and expertise. You’ll hear interesting perspectives on workflow,...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 21, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Hospitals Physicians Technology EMR Epic Systems Sutter Health Source Type: blogs
Sutter ’ s Dr. David K. Butler on EMR-enabled transformation
https://healthbb.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/hbdew047-david-k-butler-7_20_16-12-40-pm1.mp3
Dr. David K. Butler
Dr. David K. Butler came to healthcare as a digital native, unwilling to accept the paper-based status quo. In about a decade he went from using Microsoft Word to make medical notes legible to being named Epic Systems Physician of the Year for his contributions to the field of EMR implementation and optimization.
Butler is VP of EHR Optimization and Transformation at Sutter Health. In this podcast interview, I asked him to share his opinions and expertise. You’ll hear interesting perspectives on workflow,...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 21, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Hospitals Physicians Technology EMR Epic Systems Sutter Health Source Type: blogs
Drinking while grocery shopping. Is pot next?
Where did my grocery cart disappear to?
Amazon.com seems to be unstoppable. It’s grabbed the lion’s share of the e-commerce market, turned other retailers into mere showrooms for shoppers who then purchase online, discarded list prices in favor of its own internal comparisons, and turned Prime Day into a new national shopping holiday. Little buttons around the house can be pressed to reorder staples, and voice commands to my Amazon Echo can summon goods to the home.
Supermarkets are now in Amazon’s sights. I’ve received come-ons lately for Amazon Fresh.
But instead of quaking in their boots, some s...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 13, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Amusements Culture Pharma Uncategorized amazon drinking alcohol marijuana marijuana legalization Source Type: blogs
Dialysis and its discontents
For the good of the patient, of course!
If you want to understand what ails the US healthcare system, look no farther than the dialysis industry. A recent New York Times article (UnitedHealthcare Sues Dialysis Chain Over Billing) provides a pre-made case study.
In brief, a chain of dialysis clinics (American Renal Associates), pushed poor people out of government coverage and into private insurance with UnitedHealthcare so that the clinics could bill $4000 per treatment rather than $200. A patient advocacy group (American Kidney Fund), paid the patients’ insurance premiums using funds donated by American Renal. Uni...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 8, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Economics Policy and politics american kidney fund american renal associates davita dialysis extortion fresenius Source Type: blogs
Scaling up bundled payments: Interview with Loopback Analytics CEO Neil Smiley
Neil Smiley, Loopback Analytics CEO and Founder
Neil Smiley is CEO and Founder of Loopback Analytics, which supplies tools to providers to manage bundled payments. I asked him to comment on the growth of bundled payments and the role of analytics.
Why are hospitals hesitant to adopt bundled payment options? What strategies can long-term care providers take to encourage bundled payment adoption on a large scale?
In most cases, a hospital’s financial responsibility ends upon patient discharge. Bundled payments significantly lengthen the care episode, making hospitals responsible for the costs of downstream care partn...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Entrepreneurs Hospitals Technology analytics bundled payments Source Type: blogs
