chronic diseases
MN officials focus on chronic disease care
Increasingly, states are beginning to focus on management of chronic diseases as a means for getting massive healthcare costs under control. This week, Minnesota is joining the pack. Legislators... Read more...
MD groups struggle with Medicare incentive goals
It looks like the initial stages of a new CMS demonstration project have turned out to be something of a disappointment. In April 2005, CMS began offering annual bonuses to 10 physician groups if... Read more...
Report:Number of U.S. primary care MDs falls
A new study underscores the point that the number of U.S. doctors specializing in primary care is falling, though stats suggest that the gap is being covered by doctors who move here from other... Read more...
Primary care MDs should manage chronic diseases
A new report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions argues that primary care physicians should be given more control to manage patients' chronic diseases, and should be paid more to assume... Read more...
SPOTLIGHT: Cut co-pays, sell more drugs?
A new pharma-funded study shows that lower co-pays equal higher adherence to drug regimens. The implications is that by spending some money up front on drugs for chronic diseases, companies might... Read more...
CDHPs will need to step up outreach efforts
Well, surprise, surprise. Over 2007, we learned that many employees aren't too excited about current CDHP models, which offload a fair amount of first-dollar responsibility onto them without giving... Read more...
SPOTLIGHT: Chronic disease becomes major political issue
In the past, most health reform discussions have focused on the structure of the health system (for example, whether single payor vs. government-run healthcare is the better model). Increasingly,... Read more...
Study: Higher co-pays drop drug use, raise costs
New research suggests that, at least in patients with chronic diseases, raising drug co-pays tends to cut drug use--but also raise the rate of patient hospitalizations and ED visits. The research, conducted by Dana Goldman, director of RAND Health's Bing Center on Health Economics, found that for every 10 percent increase in consumer cost-sharing, pharmacy spending drops 2 to 6 percent. However, in patients with conditions like congestive heart failure, high cholesterol, diabetes and …
... Read more...ALSO NOTED: Drug maker faces $634.5M fine over OxyContin; Demand for medical assistants rising; and much more...
> Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, has been slapped with $634.5 million in fines for misrepresenting the risks of using the drug. Article (sub. req.)
> In part due to nursing shortages, demand for medical assistants is on the rise. Article
> Louisiana health planners continue to …
Quality studies proposed for children's healthcare
To date, virtually all of the major studies of healthcare quality have focused on care for adults, partly because children aren't prone to chronic diseases like diabetes whose outcomes can be measured easily. The gap in quality measures is particularly large when it comes to inpatient care, according to a study by the National Association of Children's Hospitals. However, a new bill being considered in the Senate would change the equation, budgeting $100 million over the next five years …
... Read more...