Policy and Legislation
If you want a true picture of just how severe drug shortages are across the country, listen to testimony from several healthcare leaders to members of Congress.
Republicans blasted off a letter to Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius yesterday amid rumors that HHS had shut down the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.
Physicians estimate the cost of defensive medicine to be between 26 and 34 percent of total annual healthcare costs, according to a new report by Jackson Healthcare. At an estimated $2.5 trillion in annual spending, this means $650-$850 billion is spent each year on medical orders intended to avoid lawsuits rather than treat patients.
A collection of more than 50 patient advocates, including doctors, lawyers and chief executive officers, are asking Congress to allow public access to hospital accreditation surveys.
It’s back to work in Washington, DC and all the attention is now on the Super Committee and their goal of cutting spending by at least $1.2 trillion over ten years.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) granted $109 million Tuesday for states and the District of Columbia to fund reviews of health insurance rate hikes.
The thrust behind higher healthcare spending in the United States on primary care and orthopedics versus in other countries is higher physician fees says a new study published in Health Affairs earlier this month.
Health plans Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and United Healthcare will furnish de-identified claims data to new Health Care Cost Institute to analyze cost and use drivers.
President Obama's deficit reduction plan announced yesterday proposes to save $248 billion from Medicare and $72 billion from Medicaid, and other health programs hinged on legislative action fixing the Sustainable Growth Rate. Healthcare organizations say the proposed savings will be detrimental.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is proposing to fix the Sustainable Growth Rate by sharing the cost of repealing the SGR among physicians, other health professionals, providers in other sectors and beneficiaries. The response from those in the industry has been less than supportive.