News From Around the Web
> Patients who have been with their physician at least one year tend to write positive reviews online, according to a study published this week in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Of the 712 Internet reviews of primary care physicians, 93 reviews were from patients that self-identified as having a long-term relationship with their physician, 11 reviews commented on a first-time visit to a physician, and the remainder of reviews did not specify the amount of time with their physician. Study
> Forty-four percent of Colorado residents are represented in state's health information exchange, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization reports. "Colorado providers can access historical clinical information on these patients to be better prepared for their visits and care transitions," the announcement states. "For example, if a patient recently had surgery at the hospital, their primary care physician would have access to the tests and other information on that procedure." Announcement
Mobile Health News
> The biggest challenges confronting mobile medical app entrepreneurs are interoperability and government regulations, according to witness testimony from four app developers at a June 27 hearing held by the House Small Business Subcommittee on Health and Technology. "Increased governmental and industrial support for start-up organizations and health care researchers like us is needed, as is increased federal support of interoperability standards that enable communication between different information technology systems," said Sabrina Casucci, an entrepreneur and Ph.D candidate in industrial and systems engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Article
Health Finance News
> Maternity care at U.S. hospitals is by far the most expensive in the world, and patients who lack coverage for such services are often left in the dark about what they will have to pay until they receive a bill, the New York Times reported. One expectant mother, New Hampshire resident Renee Martin, received a cost estimate from a local hospital that ranged from $4,000 to $45,000. Article
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule that would cut payments to home health-based providers starting next year, although hospital-based operators would fare slightly better under the rule, reported AHA News Now. According to the rule, CMS is proposing a 1.5 percent reduction in payments to home healthcare providers in 2014, saving about $290 million. Hospital-based home healthcare operations would receive a cut of 1.1 percent, according to the article. Article
And Finally... Puts my usual 20 to 25 percent to shame. Article