Nursefriendly.com: Cost of Healthcare

Showing posts with label Cost of Healthcare. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

5 rising trends in health care | PennLive.com

David Stoner notices that his opinion has recently become a lot more important to the staff who treats him at the Dillsburg Family Health Center.
Before, I was pretty passive, just doing what the doctor said. I can tell they are trying to get me more involved,” said the 64-year-old Lower Allen Twp. man who has diabetes.
The Dillsburg Family Health Center, a service of Holy Spirit Health System, is the site for the health system’s first “medical home” — a patient-centered, comprehensive approach to care that coordinates all facets of a patient’s care and medical history. This approach makes patients active participants in treatment decisions and improves communication between a patient’s health care providers.
It’s working for Stoner, who said he now takes his goal of losing weight and exercising more seriously, perhaps because he is the one who came up with it.
The concept of a medical home is one of several emerging trends in medicine as the industry seeks to prepare itself for aging baby boomers, take advantage of cost-effective technology and, ultimately, deliver safer, better care for patients.
Here’s a look at the effects of some of those trends in the midstate.

via pennlive.com

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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Obama administration asks states to cut costs without dropping Medicaid coverage

By Marilyn Werber Serafini
Kaiser Health News
Tuesday, February 22, 2011; 12:58 PM

The Obama administration is deploying squadrons of in-house experts to help budget-strapped states figure out how to save money on Medicaid, the health program for the poor that has been a source of rising tensions between state capitals and Washington.

In recent weeks, both Democratic and Republican governors have been pressing the administration to be flexible in enforcing a requirement in the new health-care law that bars states from tightening eligibility for the program between now and 2014, when an additional 16 million people will be eligible for the program. Some states want to tighten eligibility now to curb spending.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has a difficult balancing act. The former governor of Kansas wants to improve relations with the governors, who are due Saturday in Washington for a big meeting. But she also wants to expand Medicaid, not shrink it.

via washingtonpost.com

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Women and the Affordable Care Act - Health Care for You | HealthCare.gov

Health Care for You

Women have unique health care needs, and often make health care decisions for their families. The law offers important benefits for women and their families.

The Affordable Care Act ensures that:

Insurance Companies Can’t Deny Coverage to Women. Before the Affordable Care Act became law, insurance companies selling individual policies could deny coverage to women due to pre-existing conditions, such as cancer and having been pregnant. Under the law, insurance companies are already banned from denying coverage to children because of a pre-existing condition. In 2014, it will be illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against anyone with a pre-existing condition.

Women Have a Choice of Doctor. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, all Americans joining new insurance plans have the freedom to choose from any primary care provider, OB-GYN, or pediatrician in their health plan’s network, or emergency care outside of the plan’s network, without a referral.

Women Can Receive Preventive Care Without Copays. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, all Americans joining a new health care plan can receive recommended preventive services, like mammograms, new baby care and well-child visits, with no out-of-pocket costs. See a list of preventive services for women. (Preventive services benefits apply if you’re in a new health plan that you joined after March 23, 2010.)

Women Pay Lower Health Care Costs. Before the law, women could be charged more for individual insurance policies simply because of their gender. A 22-year-old woman could be charged 150% the premium that a 22-year-old man paid. In 2014, insurers will not be able to charge women higher premiums than they charge men. The law takes strong action to control health care costs, including helping states crack down on excessive premium increases and making sure most of your premium dollars go for your health care.

next page >>

via healthcare.gov

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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Our health is worsening at a time when medicine has never been better, KevinMD.com

by David Gratzer, MD
With little notice, UnitedHealth released a major paper recently considering diabetes in America.
First the bad news: a large portion of our population either has the disease or is pre-diabetic.
Now, the really bad news: diabetes and pre-diabetes rates are going to soar in the coming decade, according to the analysis, in part driven by the obesity crisis.
I’ll return back to the study in a moment, but it underscores a paradox: medicine has never been better; our overall health, however, is worsening.
Indeed, after seventy years of staggering medical progress — whereby medicine has evolved from passive care to miraculous cure — we seem to have entered into a new age, one in which personal decision will increasingly influence our health and the cost of our health care.

via kevinmd.com

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Friday, February 18, 2011

Released hospital patients' many unhappy returns

Patients who are released from the hospital too early or without proper planning and instructions often wind up back in the hospital after a few days, a problem that's costly to taxpayers and distressing to patients.

A study released today calculated that reducing hospital stays by a single day for Medicare and Medi-Cal patients in California adds up to $227 million a year.

An estimated 81,000 Medicare patients in California - or 20 percent - end up back in the hospital within 30 days of being discharged for some reason related to the same condition, the study found.

"Right now, when you go to the hospital, it's the do-it-yourself model. It's up to you to figure out what to do," said David Grant, author of the study for the California Discharge Planning Collaborative, a group of labor, senior and other advocacy organizations.

Patients, especially those who are elderly and lack social support, are often readmitted because they don't understand their discharge instructions, fail to take their medications or have complications that they can't handle.

via sfgate.com

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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

7 Tests You're Not Having That Could Save Your Life

Your physician has you come in to his office and run on a treadmill while you're hooked up to an EKG. For the next 8 to 12 minutes, he'll evaluate your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure as the intensity of the workout increases. When the stress test is over, he'll tell you whether you have coronary artery disease.
Here's news that might make your heart skip a beat: For women, there's a 35% chance the test results will be wrong.
Most often, the test reveals false positives, meaning healthy women are told they have heart disease. Less frequently but obviously far more dangerous is when the test fails to detect clogged arteries that could, in fact, cause a heart attack. Fewer men are misdiagnosed.

via health.yahoo.net

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Obama budget targets brand name medicines, Health.Yahoo.net

Big pharmaceutical companies could face increased competition from generic drugmakers under two proposals put forth by the Obama administration on Monday despite earlier savings extracted from drugmakers as part of last year's healthcare law.

President Barack Obama, as part of his 2012 budget proposal, called for cutting the number of years drugmakers could exclusively market brand-name biologic drugs to 7 years from 12.

He also set his sights on ending controversial "pay-for-delay" deals that affect traditional, chemical drugs by giving the U.S. Federal Trade Commission power to block them. Under such pacts, brand-name and generic drugmakers settle patent challenges with payoffs that delay lower-cost rivals from reaching the market.

The proposals face a tough challenge of getting through the divided Congress, but could alter the landscape for consumers' access to cheaper medicines.

They quickly drew industry protests.

via health.yahoo.net

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Tobacco-Free Hiring in Workplaces - NYTimes.com

Smokers now face another risk from their habit: it could cost them a shot at a job.

More hospitals and medical businesses in many states are adopting strict policies that make smoking a reason to turn away job applicants, saying they want to increase worker productivity, reduce health care costs and encourage healthier living.
The policies reflect a frustration that softer efforts — like banning smoking on company grounds, offering cessation programs and increasing health care premiums for smokers — have not been powerful-enough incentives to quit.
The new rules essentially treat cigarettes like an illegal narcotic. Applications now explicitly warn of “tobacco-free hiring,” job seekers must submit to urine tests for nicotine and new employees caught smoking face termination.
This shift — from smoke-free to smoker-free workplaces — has prompted sharp debate, even among anti-tobacco groups, over whether the policies establish a troubling precedent of employers intruding into private lives to ban a habit that is legal.
“If enough of these companies adopt theses policies and it really becomes difficult for smokers to find jobs, there are going to be consequences,” said Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, who has written about the trend. “Unemployment is also bad for health.”

via nytimes.com

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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

House GOP looks at tough health insurance realities - Marin Cogan - POLITICO.com

Ask any House Republican about repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law, and you’ll get the same fiery, self-assured talking points about tearing down what Speaker John Boehner has called a “monstrosity.”
But talk to some of the 16 freshman lawmakers who have declined their government health benefits, and you’ll hear a different side of the story — about tough out-of-pocket expenses, pre-existing conditions and support for health reforms that would help those who struggle with their coverage. As they venture into the free market for health insurance, these lawmakers — many of whom swept into office fueled by tea party anger over the health care law — are facing monthly premiums of $1,200 and fears of double-digit rate hikes.

The experience has caused some of them to think harder about the “replace” part of the “repeal and replace” mantra the GOP has adopted regarding the health care law.
“I have a niece who has pre-existing conditions, and I worry about her if she was ever to lose her job,” said Florida Rep. Richard Nugent, one of the freshman lawmakers who declined federal health insurance benefits.
Every single House Republican voted to repeal the health care law last month.

via politico.com

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Many Emergency Department Visits Could Be Managed At Urgent Care Centers And Retail Clinics — Health Aff

Americans seek a large amount of nonemergency care in emergency departments, where they often encounter long waits to be seen. Urgent care centers and retail clinics have emerged as alternatives to the emergency department for nonemergency care. We estimate that 13.7–27.1 percent of all emergency department visits could take place at one of these alternative sites, with a potential cost savings of approximately $4.4 billion annually. The primary conditions that could be treated at these sites include minor acute illnesses, strains, and fractures. There is some evidence that patients can safely direct themselves to these alternative sites. However, more research is needed to ensure that care of equivalent quality is provided at urgent care centers and retail clinics compared to emergency departments.

via content.healthaffairs.org

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Hello Doctor! (Can I Call You M.D.?) - Health Blog - WSJ

The medical profession feels like it is under siege. The traditional MD trained, post residency doctor was trusted and looked up to as a pillar of knowledge and achievement.
In a vast array of ways there have been efforts to dislodge these professionals from their perch. Obfuscation of roles, privilege creep, payer acceptance, degree inflation, DTC advertising along with mid-level focused detailing(generally more corruptible), push of “universal health care”, push of generic terminology such as “providers” used in ways to commoditize then devalue the services. The push of EHR and protocol driven care, etc are all parts of the efforts to this end.
The problem is that this is leading to fall in standards, unfortunately not just in affiliated providers but even amongst MDs in my observation over the years. The approach of younger doctors appears to be that “if I am merely a provider I will just show that level of commitment” . Many no longer take out of hours call. They choose lifestyle specialties, prefer shift work, generally refuse anything more than minimal responsibility etc.
The old guard is aging and as they are phased out, the true unfortunate ramifications of this will become clear. We are being very short sighted undercutting such a venerable profession in such ways.

via blogs.wsj.com

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Ayurvedic, Ayurveda Certified Nurses, Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurse-Owned Businesses

Ayurveda has evolved as a self-care system by those who have accepted responsibility for their own health and want a proven model for health and longevity. It offers us an alternative to allowing imbalances to grow into life-threatening diseases and then resisting them with drugs and surgeries. Ayurveda is a holistic science of wellness based on creating harmony between two fundamental complementary forces, movement, observed in respiration, circulation, digestion, elimination and in the nervous system, and stability which provides the structure to support movement. Behind these two forces is the one energy which makes it all happen. Ayurveda works through keeping these forces in balance, which creates harmony with this natural rhythm found in all life. Harmony reflects itself in wellness just as all disease grows from an imbalance. All life forms contain a unique mix of these forces giving them their special character. Thus, because every individual is unique and indivisible, what is balancing for one person's body and temperment, may cause imbalances and disease in another. Ayurveda provides guidelines to determine your individual constitution and for your specific pathways for creating balance. You can begin to look at yourself through these principles by taking a self-test at this website to discover your Ayurvedic constitution.

via nursingentrepreneurs.com

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Saturday, February 5, 2011

U.S. Sees Slowdown in Spending on Mental Health

The amount of money spent on psychiatric drugs in the United States continues to grow but at a much slower rate than in previous years, a new federal government study has found.

From 2004 to 2005, spending on psychiatric drugs rose 5.6 percent, compared with an increase of 27.3 percent between 1999 and 2000, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The agency's analysis of health-care costs from 1986 to 2005, the latest year comparable data is available, also found that spending on behavioral health accounts for a decreasing portion of overall health-care costs.

Of the $1.85 trillion spent on all health-care services in the United States in 2005, behavioral health spending accounted for 7.3 percent ($135 billion). During the 20 years analyzed in the study, spending for mental health and substance abuse health care grew more slowly than all other health spending: 4.8 percent a year for substance abuse; 6.9 percent a year for mental health and 7.9 percent a year for all health-care services.

From 2002 to 2005, spending rose 5 percent for substance abuse, 6.4 percent for mental health and 7.3 percent for all health-care services, according to the study, published Feb. 3 in Health Affairs.

Among the other findings:

Spending on addiction medications grew from $10 million in 1992 to $141 million in 2005. However, the $141 million represents only 0.6 percent of the $22 billion spent on substance abuse treatment in 2005.

In 2005, behavioral health treatment accounted for 4.8 percent of private health insurance spending, compared with 11.5 percent of total Medicaid spending. The agency said that the figures can be used as a baseline for evaluating the effect of the Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act and the Affordable Care Act.

Unlike overall health spending, the largest portion of behavioral health spending is publicly funded. In 2005, public money paid for 79 percent of spending on substance abuse treatment and 58 percent of mental health services spending, compared with 46 percent of all health spending.

via womenshealth.gov

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

CMS Initiative Will Link Incentives With Reduced Infections, Readmissions - California Healthline

CMS is planning a "major multi-year financial commitment" involving Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers that aims to curb hospital-acquired infections and readmissions, according to a confidential draft of a CMS document, Inside Health Reform reports.

The so-called National Patient Safety Initiative -- which is being developed by CMS' innovation center -- would link $70 billion in Medicare funds across 10 years to hospitals' ability to achieve new standardized performance metrics. Under the plan, 6% of hospitals' Medicare payments will be contingent on reporting errors and meeting safety measures, with the proportion of payments increasing to 9% by 2015.

By hiring state contractors, CMS will develop measures and monitor progress, and then use results to determine payments.
Medicaid and private insurance plans that chose to participate in initiative also will link a larger portion of payments to patient safety goals, affordability and patient-centered care.

The innovation center also will fund studies that aim to determine how to disseminate best practices data, and support states and health systems that develop networked learning projects, Inside Health Reform reports (Inside Health Reform, 1/26).

via californiahealthline.org

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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Fewer pediatricians, higher risk for kids’ appendix ruptures | Johns Hopkins University - The Gazette

Children who live in areas with fewer pediatricians are more likely to suffer life-threatening ruptures of the appendix than those in areas with more pediatricians, even when accounting for other factors such as the number of hospitals, imaging technology, insurance coverage and the number of surgeons in an area, according to a study from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

The study’s findings, based on an analysis of nearly 250,000 hospital records of children with appendicitis, are published online in the December issue of JAMA–Archives of Surgery.

“Our analysis shows that the most potent predictor of outcome in children with appendicitis was the number of pediatricians available in an area, emphasizing the pivotal role they play as the point of first contact in the care of a sick child,” said lead investigator Fizan Abdullah, a pediatric surgeon at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and an associate professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The appendix is a small tube extending from the large intestine, and infections and inflammation of the organ can be dangerous. Each year, 77,000 children develop appendicitis, and an estimated one-third of them suffer a ruptured appendix, a serious complication that often results from delays in diagnosis and surgery to remove the inflamed or infected organ.

via gazette.jhu.edu

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Use of Alternative Medicine Rises Sharply, Study Shows | National Nursing News

Significantly higher numbers of people began using complementary and alternative medicine therapies during the past decade, according to a new analysis.
Dejun Su, PhD, director of the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center at the University of Texas-Pan American, and colleagues examined data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey. The survey included interviews with more than 23,000 adults.
In addition to overall use, researchers were interested in the rates of increases for different demographics. Between 2002 and 2007, CAM use increased by 18.1% for whites, 17.2% for Asian Americans, 6.6% for African-Americans and 1.01% for Hispanics.
Overall, according to the survey, 33% of whites use at least one CAM therapy, not including prayer. About 32% of Asian Americans, 20% of African-Americans and 17% of Hispanics use at least one such therapy.
The study was first reported by Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health.
Su said rising healthcare costs may lead people to try CAM therapies — acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, herbal medicine and meditation — when they have nowhere else to turn. More than a third of respondents who reported trying CAM in 2007 stated that they had an untreated medical condition or had put off getting care.
Going forward, Su said, researchers must try to determine the effectiveness and possible risks of CAM therapies, as well as how they interact with conventional medicine.

via news.nurse.com

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CDC: U.S. Healthcare System Can Do Better in Treating CVD | All Sites Nursing News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites issues with the U.S. healthcare system as part of the reason for the extent of cardiovascular disease in the country.
In a report released Tuesday, the CDC said two-thirds of adults with high cholesterol and half with hypertension do not receive effective treatment.
"Although we're making some progress, the United States is failing to prevent the leading cause of death — cardiovascular disease — despite the existence of low-cost, highly effective treatments," said CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH.
"We need to do a better job improving care and supporting patients to prevent avoidable illness, disability and death."
For many people, according to the CDC, merely having healthcare coverage is not sufficient.

via news.nurse.com

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

In Defense Of Overhaul, Administration Says Preexisting Conditions Are Common : Shots - Health News Blog : NPR

Look at your friends and family. Look at yourself in the mirror.

Chances are good that quite a few people in your social circle have health trouble that would make it a lot more expensive or impossible to get health insurance, according to an analysis the Department of Health and Human Services released Tuesday morning.

Enlarge AP
Starting in 2014, insurers can no longer carve out needed benefits, charge higher premiums, set lifetime limits on benefits, or deny coverage due to a person’s preexisting condition.

AP
Starting in 2014, insurers can no longer carve out needed benefits, charge higher premiums, set lifetime limits on benefits, or deny coverage due to a person’s preexisting condition.

The report, timed to come out just as the Republican-controlled House moves ahead with a bill to repeal the federal health overhaul, estimates that as many as 129 million Americans younger than 65 have some sort of preexisting condition.

All told, 19 to 50 percent of those people have a health issue that would complicate the purchase of private health insurance. Asthma and high blood pressure could drive the costs up. More serious health problems could scotch private insurance altogether.

via npr.org

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The Politics of Health Care : National Health Service Corps Gets $290 Million Boost from Affordable Care Act

Program helps primary care clinicians repay student loans in exchange for two years of service in underserved areas.
The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced on Nov. 22 the launch of a new application cycle for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program. The NHSC offers primary care medical, nursing, dental and mental health clinicians up to $60,000 to repay student loans in exchange for two years of service at health care facilities in medically underserved areas.

According to HHS, this year's investment in the program, which includes $290 million from the Affordable Care Act, seeks to address shortages in the primary health care workforce and translates into greater access to health care for those who might otherwise go without.

The Affordable Care Act also provides more flexibility in how NHSC administers the loan repayment program. In addition to monetary awards that are higher than previous years, NHSC will give members the option of working half-time to fulfill their service obligation and provide credit for some teaching hours.

via community.advanceweb.com

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Monday, January 10, 2011

When Insurers Put Profits Before People - NYTimes.com

Late in 2007 I found myself riveted by a case playing out at the University of California, Los Angeles, the medical center where I trained and had once worked as a transplant surgeon. A 17-year-old girl named Nataline Sarkisyan was in desperate need of a transplant after receiving aggressive treatment that cured her recurrent leukemia but caused her liver to fail. Without a new organ, she would die in a matter of a days; with one, she had a 65 percent chance of surviving. Her doctors placed her on the liver transplant waiting list.

Nataline’s case was not all that different from the more than 200 liver patients I had seen successfully transplanted every year at that institution. She was critically ill, as close to death as one could possibly be while technically still alive, and her fate was inextricably linked to another’s. Somewhere, someone with a compatible organ had to die in time for Nataline to live.
But even when the perfect liver became available a few days after she was put on the list, doctors could not operate. What made Nataline different from most transplant patients, and what eventually brought her case to the attention of much of the country, was that her survival did not depend on the availability of an organ or her clinicians or even the quality of care she received. It rested on her health insurance company.

via nytimes.com

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Nursefriendly.com

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

5 rising trends in health care | PennLive.com

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Obama administration asks states to cut costs without dropping Medicaid coverage

Women and the Affordable Care Act - Health Care for You | HealthCare.gov

Health Care for You

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Our health is worsening at a time when medicine has never been better, KevinMD.com

Friday, February 18, 2011

Released hospital patients' many unhappy returns

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

7 Tests You're Not Having That Could Save Your Life

Obama budget targets brand name medicines, Health.Yahoo.net

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Tobacco-Free Hiring in Workplaces - NYTimes.com

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

House GOP looks at tough health insurance realities - Marin Cogan - POLITICO.com

Many Emergency Department Visits Could Be Managed At Urgent Care Centers And Retail Clinics — Health Aff

Hello Doctor! (Can I Call You M.D.?) - Health Blog - WSJ

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Ayurvedic, Ayurveda Certified Nurses, Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurse-Owned Businesses

Saturday, February 5, 2011

U.S. Sees Slowdown in Spending on Mental Health

Thursday, February 3, 2011

CMS Initiative Will Link Incentives With Reduced Infections, Readmissions - California Healthline

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Fewer pediatricians, higher risk for kids’ appendix ruptures | Johns Hopkins University - The Gazette

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Use of Alternative Medicine Rises Sharply, Study Shows | National Nursing News

CDC: U.S. Healthcare System Can Do Better in Treating CVD | All Sites Nursing News

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

In Defense Of Overhaul, Administration Says Preexisting Conditions Are Common : Shots - Health News Blog : NPR

The Politics of Health Care : National Health Service Corps Gets $290 Million Boost from Affordable Care Act

Monday, January 10, 2011

When Insurers Put Profits Before People - NYTimes.com

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