Ed Rendell

PA senators work to save PHC4

Anne Zieger — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:22:06 -0400

If things remain as they are, it seems that the nationally-recognized healthcare data monitoring agency known as the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) will die on November 30. However, two PA senators are working to make sure that it is resurrected as soon as possible.

Ordinarily, the fall of a small state agency wouldn't attract much attention. But in this case, things are different. The council has been important, not just in Pennsylvania, but around the country for its reports on trends in medical costs, such as a recent study concluding that in-hospital death rates for heart-bypass surgery patients in Pennsylvania hit their lowest level in more than a decade during 2006. All told, the PHC4 has kept a particularly sharp eye on key cost and quality trends in the state, setting a standard for other states to follow.

The agency officially went out of business in early July, but Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell (D) temporarily extended its life. However, that extension only lasts until November 30, and the Pennsylvania Senate has gone home for the year without an agreement to extend its life further.

Fortunately, two Pennsylvania senators, Wayne Fontana (D) and Pat Vance (R), have promised to do their best to push through an agreement as quickly as possible after the Senate returns in January.

To learn more about the council:
- Read this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette piece

PA governor backs program for chronically ill

Mon, 19 May 2008 06:59:54 -0400

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell hopes to cut back on the amount of money spent on chronically ill patients while increasing the quality of care. In a speech to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association in Harrisburg, PA, Rendell described a new program aimed at doing just that. According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the program--one of the nation's most "comprehensive"--would "educate patients about ways to improve their health, coordinating their care through teams of primary care doctors and other health care professionals, and changing the way insurers reimburse health care providers for treatment." Rendell believes that more than treatments for chronic illnesses costing more than $4 billion could have been avoided last year had the proper steps been taken.

To learn more:
- read the Philadelphia Inquirer's article

PA health plans pay PCPs to track care

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:59:54 -0400

A group of Pennsylvania health plans have come together to create a program paying family doctors and other caregivers to manage patient care more closely. Among other things, the program will make providers more accessible to patients through phone calls and email, as well as educating patients in better self-care. Plans involved, which include Independence Blue Cross, Aetna and four other insurers, are looking to spend $13 million over three years to finance the first phase of the initiative. All told, more than 150 primary care doctors are participating within 32 primary care practices, and about 220,000 patients in southeastern Pennsylvania will participate, which makes this one of the largest efforts of its kind in the U.S. The program is part of Gov. Ed Rendell's chronic-care model for the state, which should rollout statewide by year-end.

To learn more about the program:
- read this Philadelphia Inquirer article

Related Articles:
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Primary care MDs should manage chronic diseases

Lack of PA reform bill leads to higher med mal costs

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:55 -0400

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) is taking a unique tack on healthcare reform--one which, in essence, holds doctors hostage. He's telling the state's physicians that until there's an agreement on legislation to provide healthcare to the uninsured, they'll have to pay more for their medical malpractice insurance. Rendell says he won't approve another round of the state's MCare malpractice insurance abatement program until there's legislation in place helping to provide affordable health insurance. For doctors in high-risk specialties like neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and obstetrics, this means an additional $15,000 payment for medical malpractice insurance, while doctors in lower-risk specialties would pay an average of about $1,500 more.

Gov. Rendell is pushing to see state legislators take action on a bill, approved by the state House last week, which would provide subsidized coverage to adults earning up to 200 percent of the poverty level, as well as giving grants to small employers who already offer health insurance to low income workers.

To learn more about the legislative dispute:
- read this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette piece

Related Articles:
PA gov proposes universal health coverage. Report
PA bill requires healthcare pricing disclosure. Report