Policy and Legislation
There are tens of thousands of policies in Medicare's policy manual, which makes for stiff competition for the "Most Maddening" award. But my vote goes to the policy around "observation status," which is crazy-making for patients, administrators, and physicians.
In this clip from Health Datapalooza IV, panelists Farzad Mostashari, Dick Foster and Uwe Reinhardt discuss whether or not the private sector is beginning to match government investment in health IT.
Medicare patients' chances of being admitted to the hospital or kept for observation depend on what hospital they go to -- even when their symptoms are the same, says a new report by the HHS Inspector General.
In advance of August 1, when drug, device and biological companies, medical supply manufacturers and group purchasing organizations will be required to collect and document marketing expenses under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, pharmaceutical and medical device companies have been preparing but they're still laboring to adapt.
On July 26, 2013, CMS announced temporary moratoria on enrollment of new home health providers and ambulance suppliers under Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in three parts of the country identified as "fraud hot-spots."
Doctors may be cost-conscious, but price never trumps patients' best interests.
As healthcare delivery and reimbursement models transition to ensuring quality care versus quantity of care, some sectors of the healthcare industry will benefit more than others.
The topic of why it costs more to treat patients in some areas of the country than in others has caused feuds among researchers. Given the decades-long argument, a new IOM report is likely to only add fuel to the fire.
The seemingly millions of tasks for payers to be ready for the roll out of health insurance exchanges should be steadily shrinking as October swiftly approaches, but there is still much to do, including looking to the future.
Second quarter financial results show strong growth and reveal litigation challenges.