January 11th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
2 Comments »
Medicare, the government insurance company for everyone over age 65 (and for the disabled), pays fees to primary care physicians that guarantee bankruptcy. Additionally, 70% of hospitals in the United States lose money on Medicare patients. That’s right … for every patient over age 65, it costs the hospital more to deliver care than the government reimburses. That is why Mayo Clinic has said it will not accept Medicare payments for primary care physician visits at its Arizona facility. Mayo gets it. Nationwide, physicians are paid 20% less from Medicare than from private payers. If you are not paid a sustainable amount, you can’t make it up in volume. It just doesn’t pencil out. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
January 7th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Research
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I noticed this article title on MDLinx, then went to the Journal of Plastic and Reconstruction website to read the full article. The abstract is free to read, the full article requires a subscription.
The study was prompted by the authors noticing third party insurers increasingly deny coverage to patients with post traumatic and congenital facial deformities. This denial is often cited as due to the deformities not being seen as “functional” problems. The authors cite the recent facial transplants patients as having demonstrated that the severely deformed are willing to undergo potentially life-threatening surgery and extended chemotherapy in an attempt in look normal. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
January 6th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion
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This was the year that Pharma disclosed the names and payments of their physician consultants. Look here for physicians speaking and consulting with Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Lilly, and Pfizer.
Physician disclosure of conflict is important. It helps put a physician’s opinion and point of view into a context. Disclosure has long been the standard in the academic world. This represents the first time that such information has been made available to the general public.
But how will patients use this information and how will it affect care and outcomes? Should patients flatly avoid physicians or others who have a relationship with a pharmaceutical company? And should patients routinely screen physicians for conflict?
I don’t know the answer to these questions. I’m not sure patients know the answer to these questions. I suspect patients may not like the idea but would be willing to overlook a pharma connection when the reputation of the physician is impeccable.
Transparency is all the rage. Expect more. But I’m wondering how the average health consumer will practically process the information.
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
December 28th, 2009 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
2 Comments »
A friend sent me this interesting graph from the blog of the National Geographic.
You’ll have to click on it to see a bigger version. It captures a lot of data very elegantly on a single graph– Professor Tufte would love it.
What it shows is health care spending per person across a group of countries, along with life expectancies, average number of doctor visits per year, and whether a country has a system of universal health coverage. Although putting all of this data on one graph is novel, the graph makes what by now is one of the oldest political arguments for reform – for all the money they United States spends on health care we don’t get a good deal.
So why blog about this graph? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
December 26th, 2009 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy
1 Comment »
As the Senators vote to pass their bill to extend insurance to thirty million more people while failing to address malpractice or physician payment reform, we can all only hope and pray that it’s worth it in the end.
On thing’s for sure, 2010 is shaping up to be one heck of a year.
Merry Christmas.
-Wes
Chart source.Musings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
Medicare, the government insurance company for everyone over age 65 (and for the disabled), pays fees to primary care physicians that guarantee bankruptcy. Additionally, 70% of hospitals in the United States lose money on Medicare patients. That’s right … for every patient over age 65, it costs the hospital more to deliver care than the government reimburses. That is why Mayo Clinic has said it will not accept Medicare payments for primary care physician visits at its Arizona facility. Mayo gets it. Nationwide, physicians are paid 20% less from Medicare than from private payers. If you are not paid a sustainable amount, you can’t make it up in volume. It just doesn’t pencil out. Read more »
