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New York State physicians' practices influenced by insurers' guidelines, survey finds

Ninety percent of New York state physicians who responded to a survey have changed the way they treat patients because of restrictions imposed by health insurance companies, according to a survey released on Monday by the Medical Society of the State of New York, the Albany Times Union reports.

11 Sep 2008

Employers offering deals for workers who travel domestically for medical care

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how some employers "are looking to take advantage of the geographical variations in quality and cost of health care within the U.S.," and others are "leveraging deals they've struck with foreign hospitals in order to secure better rates with U.S. hospitals."

11 Sep 2008

2% of U.S. medical students plan to become primary care physicians, study says

Two percent of medical students in a survey said they planned to go into general internal medicine, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reports.

11 Sep 2008

New study examines effect of retail clinics on overall health care costs

Retail clinics are less expensive for patients than care received in a physician's office or an urgent care clinic, but there is not yet evidence that their increased use has led to a reduction in overall health care costs, according to a study in Minnesota published on Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

11 Sep 2008

Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Biden discusses health care proposal of GOP Presidential Nominee McCain

Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.) on Tuesday during a campaign event in Mehlville, Mo., said that Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) as president would place employer-sponsored health insurance at risk, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

11 Sep 2008

Experts testifying before Senate panel extol incentives, standardization as means to improve quality of care

Offering incentives to health care providers who deliver higher quality care and requiring that they comply with national quality standards would help improve patient care, witnesses said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, CQ HealthBeat reports.

11 Sep 2008

'Deep flaws' with pay-for-performance model need to be addressed to provide quality health care, according to commentary

The "general intent" of pay-for-performance programs "is to reward doctors for providing better care," but as they gain "momentum, the initiative[s] may be having untoward consequences," Sandeep Jauhar, a New York-based cardiologist and author, writes in a New York Times commentary. "To get an inkling of the potential problems," Jauhar discusses another quality-improvement program: surgical report cards.

10 Sep 2008

California budget impasse could affect health services

California's budget impasse -- the longest in state history -- could force health care providers across the state to stop services if an agreement is not reached soon, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

10 Sep 2008

Massachusetts' proposed rule could lead to Federal lawsuit, Partners HealthCare warns

Massachusetts' largest private employer Partners HealthCare on Friday warned that the state could face a federal lawsuit if it implements a proposed rule to increase some companies' contributions to their workers' health coverage, the Boston Globe reports.

10 Sep 2008

Employment rates, economic factors could decrease access to employer-sponsored health coverage for workers younger than age 65, according to EBRI analysis with the same conditions

The percentage of U.S. residents younger than age 65 who had health coverage through their employer remained at 62.2% between 2006 and 2007, but that percentage likely will decline in 2008, according to a Employee Benefit Research Institute report, the Kansas City Star reports.

10 Sep 2008

Presidential candidates discuss proposals for health care, other issues at AARP convention

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) on Saturday appeared via satellite at an AARP convention in Washington, D.C., and spoke about health care and other issues that affect seniors, the Washington Post reports.

9 Sep 2008

Sen. Grassley asking for details of hospital cost-cutting programs

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has requested that two public hospitals submit information on programs and practices that he suggests could lead to unequal treatment of patients based on their ability to pay, the Wall Street Journal's "Health Blog" reports.

9 Sep 2008

Top ANZ medical body says trainee doctors need more clinical training places

The top organisation which represents university medical schools in Australia and New Zealand has issued a stark warning regarding healthcare in Australia.

9 Sep 2008

Prentis slams 'flawed' private finance initiative

UNISON is calling on the government to abandon its failed private finance initiative (PFI) policy following the latest report from parliament's public spending watchdog.

8 Sep 2008

Johns Hopkins to assist practices in Medicare medical home demonstration

The Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has received a $1.7 million grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation to help primary care practices improve the quality and outcomes of health care for older adults with chronic illnesses.

8 Sep 2008

New York State to audit state employees', retirees' dependents to ensure eligibility in health care plan

The New York state Department of Civil Service this fall is planning to launch an investigation to ensure that the 1.2 million state employees, dependents and retirees who receive health insurance under the New York State Health Insurance Program are eligible for their coverage, the Albany Times Union reports.

7 Sep 2008

Washington Post examines Rhode Island plan to cap Medicaid spending in exchange for greater flexibility in overhauling program

Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri's (R) request to CMS last month for a waiver to set limits on state Medicaid spending has "alarmed" congressional Democrats and low-income advocacy groups who said the proposal would reduce access to nursing homes, raise out-of-pocket expenses for low-income families and limit eligibility and enrollment of residents in the program, the Washington Post reports.

7 Sep 2008

Should nurses replace GPs as frontline providers of primary care?

Should nurses be the frontline providers of primary care, taking the place of general practitioners as the first point of patient contact? Two experts debate the issue on bmj.com.

7 Sep 2008

59% of U.S. companies plan to increase workers' deductibles, copayments or out-of-pocket spending limits in 2009, survey finds

Fifty-nine percent of U.S. businesses in 2009 intend to increase employees' deductibles, copayments or out-of-pocket spending limits, according to preliminary data of a national survey released on Thursday by Mercer, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.

5 Sep 2008

U.S. District Judge amends Medi-Cal reimbursement rate reduction repayment; only requires repayments for services after Aug. 18

U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder has amended her order reversing a 10% reduction in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for health care providers to require repayment only for services performed on or after Aug. 18, which effectively "spares the state from tens of millions of dollars" in reimbursements, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/4).

5 Sep 2008

Healthcare News

New York State physicians' practices influenced by insurers' guidelines, survey finds

Employers offering deals for workers who travel domestically for medical care

2% of U.S. medical students plan to become primary care physicians, study says

New study examines effect of retail clinics on overall health care costs

Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Biden discusses health care proposal of GOP Presidential Nominee McCain

Experts testifying before Senate panel extol incentives, standardization as means to improve quality of care

'Deep flaws' with pay-for-performance model need to be addressed to provide quality health care, according to commentary

California budget impasse could affect health services

Massachusetts' proposed rule could lead to Federal lawsuit, Partners HealthCare warns

Employment rates, economic factors could decrease access to employer-sponsored health coverage for workers younger than age 65, according to EBRI analysis with the same conditions

Presidential candidates discuss proposals for health care, other issues at AARP convention

Sen. Grassley asking for details of hospital cost-cutting programs

Top ANZ medical body says trainee doctors need more clinical training places

Prentis slams 'flawed' private finance initiative

Johns Hopkins to assist practices in Medicare medical home demonstration

New York State to audit state employees', retirees' dependents to ensure eligibility in health care plan

Washington Post examines Rhode Island plan to cap Medicaid spending in exchange for greater flexibility in overhauling program

Should nurses replace GPs as frontline providers of primary care?

59% of U.S. companies plan to increase workers' deductibles, copayments or out-of-pocket spending limits in 2009, survey finds

U.S. District Judge amends Medi-Cal reimbursement rate reduction repayment; only requires repayments for services after Aug. 18

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