Healthcare expenditures outpace inflation, GDP
Health expenditures are still rising faster than the rate of inflation, and that rate of increase is expected to remain steady for the next nine years, according to the federal government. Healthcare's bite of the gross domestic product is expected to rise to 16.3 percent in 2007, up from 16 percent in 2006. A report released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services indicates that the difference between the rate of growth in healthcare spending and general inflation over the next 10 years is expected to be greater than the average differential over the past three years. DATE: 02/27/08
Report outlines PPS system for ESRD providers
Medicare is moving closer to a prospective payment system for dialysis centers that supply ongoing care to beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease, or ESRD. The report by CMS suggests that improvements in how Medicare pays the centers could enable them to more efficiently deliver services to beneficiaries. ESRD is one of the last segments of care that Medicare doesn't set prices for prospectively. These services are furnished on an outpatient basis in free-standing and hospital-based dialysis facilities. DATE: 02/25/08
CMS proposing flexible Medicaid coverage rules
CMS is proposing new rules that would give states flexibility in designing their own Medicaid programs, with the hope of aligning the federal-state programs with private market insurance. The rules would give states wider latitude for offering benefits and designing cost-sharing arrangements. CMS also released proposed regulations on DRA provisions that allow states to change current premiums and cost-sharing structures. Through alternative benefit packages called "benchmark plans," states will have the ability to offer Medicaid recipients healthcare plans that have the same value as plans that are being offered to other populations. DATE: 02/25/08
New service to assess value of genetic tests
A new service is looking to assess the value of genetic tests to determine if they work as advertised and are worth the cost for treating patients. Hayes Inc. has launched Genetic Test Evaluation, a subscription-based online service. Hayes executives said the service will help sort through the information and clinical trial data on nearly 1,200 genetic tests that are currently available. DATE: 02/12/08