January 2011 - The Health Care Blog

Repeal is Irresponsible

By LUCAS RESTREPO, MD “The primary ethical issue of modern medicine and public health is the outcome gap,” write Paul Farmer and Nicole Gastineau Campos in an essay published in 2004. Entrenched in “growing social inequalities,” this gap is immediately...

Published Mon, Jan 17 2011 8:20 AM by The Health Care Blog

The Bookmarked Final Rules

By JOHN HALAMKA, MD Robin Raiford of Allscripts has completed the bookmarking of all the healthcare IT final rules: CMS final rule – EHR incentive program (14 Megabytes) ONC final rule – Standards Stage One (500K) ONC final rule –... Read More...

Published Mon, Jan 17 2011 8:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

So, Are EHRs a Waste of Time and Money?

By ROGER COLLIER The 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) authorized incentive payments, potentially totaling some $27 billion over ten years, to clinicians and hospitals when they implement electronic health...

Published Mon, Jan 17 2011 6:07 AM by The Health Care Blog

The Remarkable Rise of the Hyphenated-Hospitalist

By ROBERT WACHTER, MD I recall with fondness many meetings in 1996-98, when the hospitalist field was still in its infancy. We had invented a new medical specialty, and our gatherings were vibrant and purposeful. We were determined to remake... Read More...

Published Sun, Jan 16 2011 5:01 PM by The Health Care Blog

Is There Something Wrong With the Scientific Method?

By DAVE deBRONKART, MD A recurring them on this blog is the need for empowered, engaged patients to understand what they read about science. It’s true when researching treatments for one’s condition, it’s true when considering government policy proposals...

Published Sat, Jan 15 2011 6:25 AM by The Health Care Blog

Ready, Set…ACO?

By JONATHAN BUSH Happy New Year, everyone! 2010 was certainly action-packed, and 2011 promises the same. I hear a lot of thunder about getting ready for ACOs. This isn’t a crystal ball forecast, but I see hospitals spending tons of... Read More...

Published Fri, Jan 14 2011 6:06 AM by The Health Care Blog

The Myth of Consumer-Directed Health Care

By JANE SARASOHN-KAHN The theory behind “consumer-driven health care” is that when the health care user has more financial ‘skin in the game,’ they’ll become more informed and effective purchasers of health care for themselves and their families. That...

Published Thu, Jan 13 2011 8:29 AM by The Health Care Blog

Doctors in Congress

By RICHARD REECE When new members of Congress are sworn in this January, there will be a total of 19 doctors in Congress – 3 Senators and 16 Congresspersons. That will be a 27% increase over 2009,from 15 to 19,... Read More...

Published Thu, Jan 13 2011 6:18 AM by The Health Care Blog

Health Alert: Health and Education

By JOHN GOODMAN, PhD I believe John Goodman's Health Policy Blog is the only place on the Internet that routinely compares the fields of health and education (see previous posts here and here). The reason: lessons from one field are... Read More....

Published Wed, Jan 12 2011 3:17 PM by The Health Care Blog

Data Mining Case Reaches the Supreme Court

By GLENN LAFFEL, MD, PhD Twenty years ago, IMS Health got the idea to purchase prescription records from pharmacies, license physician information from the AMA’s Physician Masterfile, and link the two databases so as to create something new and different...

Published Wed, Jan 12 2011 12:34 PM by The Health Care Blog

Cyber Insurance

By MICHAEL OVERLY, ESQ Insurance exists to cover a wide range of potential business risks. Cyber insurance is worth considering as companies increase their presence, business practices and data storage online. In fact, Cyber insurance is not just for...

Published Wed, Jan 12 2011 6:39 AM by The Health Care Blog

What Do Medical Errors Cost Your State?

By PAUL LEVY GE Healthcare offers this calculator, based on data from the Society of Actuaries, to show the cost of medical errors for a given population. I inserted the population of Massachusetts from the most recent US Census to... Read More...

Published Wed, Jan 12 2011 6:25 AM by The Health Care Blog

SAN FRANCISCO EARLY BIRD PRICE ENDS THIS WEEK

The year may have just begun, but before you know it the Health 2.0 conferences will be just around the corner and if you blink you may just miss a great deal. The Health 2.0 Spring Fling conference in San... Read More...

Published Tue, Jan 11 2011 12:51 PM by The Health Care Blog

Hospital Culture and Surviving the New Landscape

By KENT BOTTLES, MD A recent flight on Southwest reminded me of the importance of culture in navigating change in a rapidly evolving environment like we have in health care in the United States today. It is all too easy... Read More...

Published Tue, Jan 11 2011 6:55 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Kent Bottles, ACOs, Culture

Accountability? Heaven forbid!

By PAUL LEVY At a recent talk, Dartmouth's Elliott Fisher facetiously remarked that we cannot yet be sure whether accountable care organizations (ACOs) will actually be accountable, caring, and organized. Well, if some providers have their way, they...

Published Mon, Jan 10 2011 3:20 PM by The Health Care Blog