Feeling pinched: Hospitals, docs anxious as 'provider payment cuts are pretty easy to do by Rich Daily
August 8, 2011 (ModernHealthcare.com) - The newly enacted debt-ceiling deal may have saved the nation from a financial crisis, but it also managed to paint a target on the backs of healthcare providers. And the potential size and scope of the cuts they could face has providers scrambling for a response.
The deal followed a months-long partisan fight over extending the federal government's borrowing authority beyond the $14.3 trillion limit it was set to reach Aug. 3. President Barack Obama signed a compromise into law last week that would provide $2.1 trillion in additional borrowing authority.
» CONTINUE READING
Increase in Public Health Spending Results in Healthier People, Study Suggests
August 5, 2011 (ScienceDaily) - A groundbreaking new study published in the journal Health Affairs, suggests that increases in public health spending result in healthier people, especially in communities with fewer resources.
---
The study examined whether changes in spending by local public health agencies over a 13-year period contributed to changes in rates of community mortality from preventable causes of death, including infant mortality and deaths due to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.
» CONTINUE READING
High student loans push doctors from primary care positions
Rachel Lake
August 5, 2011 (KHAS-TV) - The average college graduate owes about $20,000 in student loans.
But a medical graduate owes up to twelve times that. So to pay off their debts, many young doctors are choosing to enter more lucrative specialties like dermatology or neurology over primary care.
It means a shortage in primary care physicians and it's nothing new.
---
As of July 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported about 6,400 primary care shortage areas nationwide.
Since 1978, 86 of Nebraska's 93 counties have been designated as medically underserved including the tri-cities.
"I see the aging population increasing and having more illness and I see the people who can take care of them that pool becoming smaller," said Dr. Smith.
Especially when it comes to rural areas.
» CONTINUE READING
More on Rural Physicians:
• Med schools seek right fit for rural practice (amednews.com, August 8, 2011)
Report Identifies Proven Design Methods for Use by Consumer Health Informatics Product Developers
August 3, 2011 (AHRQ Health IT Update) - A new report funded by AHRQ offers a range of design methods that may be applicable for use in developing consumer health information technology (IT) applications. Improving Consumer Health IT Application Development: Lessons from Other Industries: Background Report offers an environmental scan of design practices found in successful consumer products and identifies those that could support improved development of consumer health IT applications. The full report provides recommendations of methods that can be incorporated into consumer health IT application design processes.
» ACCESS THE REPORT (pdf)
ATA calls on A-Team to craft 'meaningful use' policy objectives
August 2, 2011 (Telemedicine and e-Health News Alert) - The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has created its latest policy A-Team to explore the policy implication of “meaningful use” on telemedicine. Robert Jarrin, senior director, government affairs, Qualcomm, will lead the A-Team on Telehealth and Meaningful Use. Its purpose will be “to recommend ATA strategy and to proactively advocate for the integration of telehealth into 'meaningful use' policy objectives as being defined for Stage II AND Stage III,” according to ATA. Participation in A-Teams is open to all ATA members; team communications are completed over The HUB, ATA's social network and communications tool. The group will disband after the public comment period for Stage III meaningful use has concluded.
» JOIN THE TELEHEALTH AND MEANINGFUL USE POLICY A-TEAM (login/ATA membership required)
After Health Reform, Safety Net Providers Still Play Crucial Health System Role, Experts Say
August 8, 2011 (The Commonwealth Fund News Release) - Nearly all leaders in health and health care policy recently surveyed (98%) believe traditional safety-net providers—including public hospitals, community health centers, and faith-based and mission-driven organizations—will continue to play crucial roles in the U.S. health system after the Affordable Care Act is implemented. Even in the post-reform environment, experts say, these providers will fulfill a critical need by serving individuals who remain uninsured and by being best equipped to meet the special needs of vulnerable populations —for example, providing culturally competent care or translation services. These findings and others are from the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, which asked respondents about the ways in which health care reform can improve care for vulnerable populations—including low-income people, the uninsured, and disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities.
» CONTINUE READING
Monday Roundup: A Confused Times Editorial
August 8, 2011 (The Weekly Yonder) - We have another utterly confused accounting of federal payments spent in rural America, this time from the Los Angeles Times in an editorial.
In the first paragraph, the editorial says the "recipients with the most to lose" in federal budget cutting live in rural America. They "are almost twice as reliant on federal largesse as city dwellers and suburbanites." The Times then links to a page at the Economic Research Service at the Department of Agriculture showing the metro versus nonmetro transfer payments.
» CONTINUE READING
Medicare payment rule promotes improved inpatient care
August 1, 2011 (CMS News Release) - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a final rule that will update Medicare payment policies and rates for hospitals in fiscal year (FY) 2012. The final rule, which will affect Medicare payments to general acute care hospitals and long-term care hospitals for inpatient stays, supports efforts to promote ongoing improvements in hospital care that will lead to better patient outcomes while addressing long-term health care cost growth.
» CONTINUE READING
» TOP |