October 2014 - Health Affairs - The Network of Care

Ebola And EHRs: An Unfortunate And Critical Reminder

The Dallas hospital communication lapse that led to the discharge of a Liberian man with Ebola symptoms is an example of the failure of American health care system to effectively share health information, even within single institutions. It is not possible...

Published Tue, Oct 28 2014 8:36 AM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Public Health, Policy, Health IT, Global Health, Hospitals, Technology, Emergency Medicine

The VA Post-Scandal: New Law And New Leadership

Editor's note: For more on this topic, see the Health Affairs Blog posts from Theodore Stefos and James Burgess and Jonathan Bush . In the wake of the recent scandals in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), new leadership was installed with former...

Published Thu, Oct 02 2014 11:30 AM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Health Reform, Policy, Health Care Delivery, Veterans

Narrative Matters: Sensitizing Doctors To Patients With Disabilities

In the October Health Affairs Narrative Matters essay , a doctor who stutters confronts the stigma against patients—and providers—with disabilities. Leana Wen’s article is freely available to all readers, or you can listen to the podcast. Read More.....

Published Thu, Oct 23 2014 11:14 AM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Personal Experience, Narrative Matters

The United States’ Misguided Self-Interest On Ebola

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is spiraling out of control. The international community allowed a manageable outbreak to mushroom into a health and humanitarian crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been enfeebled and largely sidelined. Belatedly...

Published Fri, Oct 31 2014 10:15 AM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Public Health, Policy, Politics, States, Global Health, Health Law, Science and Health

Health Affairs Web First: Noneconomic Damage Caps Reduced Medical Malpractice Payments, With Varied Effects

With the 2014 election weeks away, a provision of California’s Proposition 46, raising the cap on medical malpractice payments for noneconomic damages, has been in the news. This provision would increase the payment cap from $250,000 to $1.1 million....

Published Wed, Oct 22 2014 1:03 PM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Policy, Malpractice Liability Reform, Physicians, Workforce, Health Law

Enrolling College Students In Health Insurance: Lessons From California (Part 2)

Editor's note: As we approach the beginning of the second open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act, Walter Zelman describes an effort he led during last year's initial open enrollment period to enroll students in the California State...

Published Tue, Oct 21 2014 12:47 PM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Health Reform, Consumers, Policy, Insurance, States, Coverage

Turning Family Caregivers Into A Political Force

Suzanne Mintz’s memorable Narrative Matters essay in the September issue of Health Affairs calls for attention to and support for family caregivers, and puts many important policy and practice improvements on the policy table. But the piece stops just...

Published Wed, Oct 01 2014 6:00 AM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Chronic Care, End-of-Life Care, Aging, Long-Term Care, Disabilities

Implementing Health Reform: Reference Pricing And Network Adequacy

On October 10, 2014, the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services issued a frequently asked question (FAQ) regarding the use of reference-based pricing in non-grandfathered large group employer plans. Although the issue the FAQ addresses...

Published Sun, Oct 12 2014 3:09 PM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Health Reform, Consumers, Policy, Insurance, Payment, Health Care Costs, Employer-Sponsored Insurance

New Health Policy Brief: The Physician Payments Sunshine Act

A new Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) looks at a section of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (PPSA). The PPSA spells out how medical product manufacturers...

Published Fri, Oct 03 2014 6:00 AM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Policy, Payment, Physicians, Pharma, Hospitals

Establishing Vouchers For Veteran Health Care

Editor's note: For more on this topic, stay tuned for additional Health Affairs Blog posts today from Jonathan Bush and Joel Kupersmith. Recent disclosures of long wait times at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities that are presumed to lead...

Published Thu, Oct 02 2014 6:00 AM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Payment, Health Care Costs, Medicare, Health Care Delivery, Veterans

Health Affairs Briefing: Collaborating For Community Health

Policymakers are paying increasing attention to the relationship between the characteristics of communities and the health of the people living in them. The November 2014 issue of Health Affairs , "Collaborating For Community Health , " examines...

Published Wed, Oct 29 2014 1:14 PM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Nonmedical Determinants, Public Health, Health Philanthropy

Health Affairs Web First: Vietnam’s Health Care System, Explained By Its Minister Of Health

In August, Vietnam’s Minister of Health, Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, was interviewed for Health Affairs by Tsung-Mei Cheng, recently released as a Health Affairs Web First . Among the topics discussed was an overview of the unique characteristics of Vietnam...

Published Thu, Oct 30 2014 6:58 AM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Public Health, Global Health

Bringing Health, Wellness, And Opportunity To Coal Country

Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series written for Health Affairs Blog by local leaders from communities honored with the annual Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize. In 2014, six winning communities were selected by RWJF...

Published Fri, Oct 31 2014 6:00 AM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Nonmedical Determinants, Public Health, Chronic Care

Enrolling College Students In Health Insurance: Lessons From California (Part 1)

Editor's note: As we approach the beginning of the second open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act, Walter Zelman describes an effort he led during last year's initial open enrollment period to enroll students in the California State...

Published Mon, Oct 20 2014 12:33 PM by Health Affairs Blog

Filed under: All Categories, Health Reform, Consumers, Policy, Insurance, States, Coverage

500 Days And Counting: Critical Steps In The Countdown To Achieving MDG 6

Editor's note: For more on global health, see the September issue of Health Affairs . We are now less than 500 days away from December 31, 2015, the target date for reaching the world’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG). This includes MDG 6, the...

Published Mon, Oct 06 2014 6:53 AM by Health Affairs Blog