March 20th, 2011 by Stanley Feld, M.D. in Health Policy, Opinion
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Last year’s “Doctor Fix” was passed the last week congress was in session in 2010. This was after the medical profession was held in suspense for 9 months.
The “Doctor Fix” was supposedly the result of President Obama making a deal with the AMA for the AMA’s support. He was going to pass a real “Doctor Fix” in 2011 by repairing the defective sustainable growth rate formula (SGR). Nothing has been done about this by President Obama in 2011. The cumulative physician reimbursement reduction of 25% was suspended until January 2012.
Physicians face a 29.5% Medicare Pay Cut in January 2012. Four and one half percent was added to last year’s cumulative physicians reimbursement reduction. The reduction was calculated into the CBO’s cost score for President Obama’s Healthcare Reform Act.
Last week an official with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveiled the 29.5% rate reduction for 2012 in a recent letter to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. This will become another distraction for physicians and the media as President Obama stalls for time. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*
March 20th, 2011 by Iltifat Husain, M.D. in News
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With the tragic events that have recently unfolded in Japan, there is a large segment of the population who require medical attention, certainly in excess of what Japan’s health care system is used to supplying.
Many of them have turned to the medical app, “Medical Encyclopedia for Home Use” — an application that offers basic first aid advice for treating medical injuries. The developers of the app have made it free of charge due to the recent catastrophic events.
The application is currently the number one downloaded free app in the Japan iTunes store, reflecting the tremendous need for continued healthcare treatment in the aftermath of the earthquake and subsequent events.
The iPhone has done extremely well in Japan, with millions of Japanese users. In the future, as smart phones become more ubiquitous, it will be interesting to see if governments release apps specifically for situations like the current one.
Official government sanctioned apps that help look for lost loved ones, or provide resources for those affected by these types of events could provide significant utility. App Stores allow for quick and streamlined distributions for these types of apps, allowing them to get to millions of users at once.
Donations to the Red Cross
iTunes Link to Medical Encyclopedia for Home use app
*This blog post was originally published at iMedicalApps*
March 20th, 2011 by Jessie Gruman, Ph.D. in Health Tips, True Stories
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I am a poster child for why everyone who has had cancer needs to work with their doctor(s) to develop and implement a survivorship plan.
Two of my four cancer-related diagnoses were found during routine screenings. Two of my cancer-related diagnoses and one serious heart condition were almost certainly due to late effects of cancer treatment when I was young.
Each was a complete surprise to me, and while there is evidence that predicts most of these occurrences, not one of my doctors used this literature to shape a plan for my post-treatment care.
I was on my own. My fear of yet another recurrence led me over time to cobble together a motley collection of oncologists (one for each body part) and other specialists (cardiologist, dermatologist, endocrinologist, and so forth) to watch over me. I thought I was lucky that this has worked so far. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at CFAH PPF Blog*
March 20th, 2011 by American Journal of Neuroradiology in Research
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We report a pathologically proved craniopharyngioma in the prepontine cistern. A 50-year-old woman presented with swallowing difficulty for 1 month. She underwent brain MR and CT imaging.
T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images showed a large peripheral enhancing cystic mass in the prepontine cistern. Inside the lesion, high signal intensity (SI) on T1 and low SI on T2-weighted imaging were noted (Fig 1). The CT scan showed features similar to those on the MR images, except for the addition of a peripheral small calcification in the cystic lesion. We could not find any connection between the mass in the prepontine cistern and the sellar or parasellar area. The mass was partially surgically removed, and histopathologic examination revealed craniopharyngioma in the prepontine cistern.
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[in a new window]- Fig 1. A 50-year-old woman with a craniopharyngioma in the prepontine cistern. A, Sagittal T1-weighted image shows a cystic mass in the prepontine cistern. B, Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted sagittal image shows a peripheral enhancing cystic mass in the prepontine cistern. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at AJNR Blog*
March 19th, 2011 by BobDoherty in Health Policy, Opinion
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A few days ago I received an email from a general internist about my posts about concierge practices. I have known this physician for over 20 years, and he has great insight into the challenges facing health care. This email was no exception; he had this to say how his group took the “middle way” of pursuing private funding for the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH):
“My practice includes 3 primary care physicians and has invested heavily in IT infrastructure. We have re-engineered our workflows and have achieved benchmark levels of quality and service. We have won NCQA certification for our PCMH. Yet so far no payer has stepped up to underwrite our investment. So we have joined Privia Health in forming a ‘membership practice.’ Patients are asked to pay a small monthly membership fee. In return they receive some special attention . . . Plan sponsors and payers are invited to pay the fee on behalf of their employees. . . Patients like having same day access. They like secure email communication with their doctor. They like having a personal health record. They like having a case manager helping them navigate the system. And they like going online in the evening to make their own appointments. ACP policy supports the medical home but is silent on the question of what a medical home is to do before local payment realities catch up. I owe my patients my efforts to assure that when I retire an eager young internist will welcome the opportunity to take over my practice. Absent public or private funding for the medical home that is just not going to happen.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
