January 14th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News
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The perpetually struggling British National Health Service (NHS) is testing a telemonitoring system from Philips in hopes that it will help moderate the cost of providing care to the elderly. The Philips Motiva is a device that hooks up to a television and displays interactive prompts for patients to perform certain tasks, like measuring blood sugar. Via a broadband connection, readings are then sent out to the clinic for overview by a healthcare professional. NHS is hoping that the system will help it reduce the number of in-person patient visits to the hospital, freeing up time for more pressing issues to get their turn.
From The Times of London:
Some 400 patients are being monitored in Newham. Each is provided with diagnostic equipment, such as an SPO2 meter for blood oxygen, which clips on the patient’s finger. The meter is attached to a set-top box linked to the patient’s television. The readings are sent to healthcare staff of the Primary Health Trust, who contact the patient if the readings cause concern.
The Newham trial includes patients with diabetes, heart disease or breathing problems, known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, a condition affecting a million Britons. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
January 13th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, True Stories
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I’ve always wanted to be a doctor.
Never a writer.
With a new year and a new decade, I am determined to become a better writer not because of some childhood dream or expectation from others, but because of a near mishap that occurred at the beginning of 2000. A simple phone call changed the destiny of my brother from having a good outcome to having a great outcome. A simple phone call may have been the difference between “you are cancer free” to “I’m sorry to tell you it’s come back.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
January 13th, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Opinion
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Bouncing back to the hospital refers to patients who were discharged from the hospital but return during some defined period of time. This will become important as insurance companies, including CMS, stop paying for patients who are readmitted within some defined period for the same condition. In medical circles, we usually refer to this as the 30 day readmission rate.
When hospitalist groups were first coming on the scene and were showing reduced length of stay, many folks falsely believed that hospitalists must have a higher percentage of patients bouncing back into the hospital. I have yet to see any research that indicates such trend every existed. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist Blog*
January 11th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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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 11th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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With the turn of the calendar to the new decade, the reality of health care reform has set in for doctors and patients. Already cuts to physician salaries and patient access to care are becoming starkly apparent to those of us on the front lines of health care.
I wonder why doctors have been so ineffectual relative to the other special interests “at the table,” in the health care debate? One would think that those with the knowledge base and skill to manage their patients would be the ultimate power brokers in the efforts of health care reform. Yet here we are, watching the commoditization of our profession at the hands of lawyers and politicians in Washington, eager to avoid being perceived as the spoiler. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
