April 2010 - The Health Care Blog

Myths and Facts About Health Reform Part II

By MAGGIE MAHAR Lobbyists representing the many who profit from our $2.6 trillion health care industry spent millions in the war over healthcare reform. Yet National Journal Contributing Editor Eliza Newlin Carney suggests that “it's unclear whether...

Published Fri, Apr 16 2010 8:24 PM by The Health Care Blog

Reputation versus quality: U.S. News Hospital Ranking

By PAUL LEVY Each year, US News and World Report publishes its list of the top 50 hospitals in various specialties (example here). Now, an article has been published suggesting that one aspect of the methodology used by the magazine... Read More...

Published Wed, Apr 21 2010 4:31 AM by The Health Care Blog

Nurseanomics

By MAGGIE MAHAR Twenty-eight states are now engaged in a heated debate over the difference between a doctor and a nurse: Legislators in these states are considering whether they should let a nurse practitioner (NP) with an advanced degree provide... Read...

Published Thu, Apr 22 2010 5:42 AM by The Health Care Blog

Well, point-less?

By Matthew Holt OK, so it's a terrible and stolen pun but Wellpoint’s recent history is getting more and more bizarre. First they become the poster child for the recissions scandal (even if not the worst offender)—which eventually helped push... Read...

Published Fri, Apr 23 2010 1:28 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Matthew Holt, Health Plans

Challenges in EMR adoption by doctors offices

Adoption of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) by physicians – particularly by primary care physicians – has been a challenge, for a number of reasons. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has been charged with encouraging physicians...

Published Wed, Apr 21 2010 2:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

Reg strikes back! Apparently Wellcare were a bunch of crooks after all. Maybe

By Matthew Holt Everyone's favorite Harvard Business School professor is back in the news. Those of you with long memories may remember that at THCB I’ve been a tad critical of Regina Herzlinger’s ideas, her presentation of said ideas and—resulting...

Published Wed, Apr 28 2010 8:23 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Matthew Holt, Health Plans

ProPublica's Pulitzer piss-take

By Matthew Holt In a decade when there are countless really, really important issues to investigate in health care, ProPublica took more than $400,000 and spent it on a rehash of a well known story. The story was about a... Read More...

Published Fri, Apr 30 2010 1:13 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Policy/Politics, ProPublica

The Laboratory of Democracy

By PAUL LEVY People from other states would be wise to watch the sequence of events happening here in Massachusetts with regard to health insurance rates. As I described below: Things are playing out just as one might predict in... Read More...

Published Fri, Apr 09 2010 6:25 AM by The Health Care Blog

APSO needs to replace SOAP in EMRs

By Dr. Pullen Electronic medical records (EMRs) have a bad reputation among many physicians for generating progress notes that are so verbose and filled with standard phrases that they are nearly useless to other physicians, and even to the physician...

Published Sun, Apr 11 2010 6:24 PM by The Health Care Blog

Important: Input on consumer 'Meaningful Use' requested and required, Apr 20

By Matthew Holt Josh Seidman, now running the meaningful use program at ONC, but formerly of the Center for Ix Therapy writes with an important request: The Meaningful Use Workgroup of the Health IT Policy/federal advisory committee that advises ONC)...

Published Thu, Apr 15 2010 6:15 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Electronic Medical Records, Health 2.0, Matthew Holt, Consumers, e-patients

Getting Over The New Normal

By MICHAEL TURPIN “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin In her 1969 Book, On Death and Dying,... Read More...

Published Fri, Apr 02 2010 1:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

Health 2.0 Europe today; take a deep breath

By Matthew Holt I’ve been careening around the Paris metro getting the flavor of this amazing city, and tomorrow the preparation stops and Health 2.0 Europe finally happens. (Just to be clear this blog publishes on California time where it’s... Read More...

Published Mon, Apr 05 2010 4:29 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Health 2.0

Engage with Grace on Decisions Day

By Leigh Calabrese-Eck & Alexandra Drane Friday April 16 is National Health Care Decisions Day -- a national campaign that aims to encourage people to complete advance directives or living wills to document end-of-life-wishes. In the sprit of the...

Published Fri, Apr 16 2010 1:08 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Consumers

Another physician tool: mPay Gateway interview

By Matthew Holt While I clear out interviews that I have had in the can that were interrupted by first health reform and then Health 2.0 Europe, here's an interesting one on a very niche application mPay Gateway that helps... Read More...

Published Wed, Apr 21 2010 1:50 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Technology, Electronic Medical Records, Health 2.0, Matthew Holt, Physicians

It's Easier to Beat Up the Insurers

By PAUL LEVY Things are playing out just as one might predict in the Massachusetts small business and individual insurance market. The Insurance Commissioner turned down proposed rate increases, the state's insurers appealed to the courts, and now...

Published Wed, Apr 07 2010 7:14 AM by The Health Care Blog