HTE Health Train Express is Celebrating 10 years of publishing on the internet. Throughout this month we will publish articles from the past ten years.
A substantial number of Medicare Beneficiaries receive low value medical care. Several criteria were used to measure low value care. Medicare spent $8.5 billion, or $310 per beneficiary, on services detected by the study's more sensitive measures of low-value care, while spending on low-value services with more specific definitions totaled $1.9 billion, or $71 per beneficiary.
That accounted for 0.6 percent to 2.7 percent of overall spending, depending on the measures' level of sensitivity. While representing "modest proportions" of total Medicare spending, the researchers note the findings suggest widespread overuse of unnecessary treatments. JAMA Study KHN Study
Virginia is first state to release rate proposals for 2015. Premium rates will rise 3.3% (KFHP), 8.5% (Wellpoint Anthem). to accomodate poorer health of many new members likely to boost their health care utilization.
Webinar events Mark Your Calendars: A collection of free webinars of timely subjects
> Next-Generation Subrogation Solutions - Wednesday, June 4, 2014, 12pmET / 11amCT / 9amPT
> Healthcare's new entrants: Who will be healthcare's Amazon.com? - Wednesday, June 3rd, 11am ET / 8am PT
> New Rx Savings Strategies for Payers - SPONSORED BY: Elsevier
> The Growing Challenge of Medical Identity Theft - Thursday, June 5, 2014 | 1pm ET, 11am PT
> The Internet of Things: How connected devices put data in your hands - Thursday, June 12th, 1pm ET / 10am PT
> Developing for the Internet of Things: Challenges and Opportunities - Wednesday, June 18th, 2pm ET
> Boosting physician adoption of CPOE to maximize its benefits - Wednesday, June 25th, 2pm ET/ 11am PT
Insurers issued about $513 million in rebates for 2012 under the medical-loss ratio requirement, according to a Commonwealth Fund report released Tuesday. That's half of the amount paid in 2011, showing greater compliance by insurers with the Affordable Care Act's MLR rule. Commonwealth Fund announcement and study (.pdf)
CMS decided to increase the Medicare Advantage payment rate by 0.4 percent after it proposed in February to lower rates for plans, Despite the reversal, some insurers like Aetna and Humana have still predicted Medicare Advantage payments will drop by as much as 4 percent.
Health IT News:
> Within two decades, Google might dominate the medical technology industry as the company currently spends $8 billion a year on research. Article
During the past ten years adoption of EHR, HDX, and Hospital EHRs created a tsunami of demand for experienced IT professionals. Despite funding for training of HIT personel via the HITECH ACT ongoing demand has created a shortage, impacting EHR installations, and Health Care Reform. Much of Health Care Reform requires integration of data silos and data analytics
Controversy and disagreement continues in regard to Federal mandates for inclusion of Meaningful use standards for electronic health records. Meaningful use was designed to guide transition to EHRs that would exchange data, increase patient involvement, and allow data collection for analysis. Providers are mandated to either modify their present EHR or completely replace their software. This comes at a time when there are many competing increases in bureaucracy, planned adoption of the ICD-10 diagnosis tables. Providers have said that the definition of Meaningful Use by HHS is not the same as meaningful use by providers. EHRs continue to be inconsistent, not user friendly, nor intuitive.
