Dialysis and its discontents
For the good of the patient, of course!
If you want to understand what ails the US healthcare system, look no farther than the dialysis industry. A recent New York Times article (UnitedHealthcare Sues Dialysis Chain Over Billing) provides a pre-made case study.
In brief, a chain of dialysis clinics (American Renal Associates), pushed poor people out of government coverage and into private insurance with UnitedHealthcare so that the clinics could bill $4000 per treatment rather than $200. A patient advocacy group (American Kidney Fund), paid the patients’ insurance premiums using funds donated by American Renal. Uni...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 8, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Economics Policy and politics american kidney fund american renal associates davita dialysis extortion fresenius Source Type: blogs
Scaling up bundled payments: Interview with Loopback Analytics CEO Neil Smiley
Neil Smiley, Loopback Analytics CEO and Founder
Neil Smiley is CEO and Founder of Loopback Analytics, which supplies tools to providers to manage bundled payments. I asked him to comment on the growth of bundled payments and the role of analytics.
Why are hospitals hesitant to adopt bundled payment options? What strategies can long-term care providers take to encourage bundled payment adoption on a large scale?
In most cases, a hospital’s financial responsibility ends upon patient discharge. Bundled payments significantly lengthen the care episode, making hospitals responsible for the costs of downstream care partn...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Entrepreneurs Hospitals Technology analytics bundled payments Source Type: blogs
Hallmark and Tufts combine: I ’ m quoted
From the Boston Globe:
The parent company of Tufts Medical Center plans to expand its hospital network with the addition of Hallmark Health System, a merger that will help both sides compete in a market dominated by bigger institutions…
“Both of these systems were undersized to be able to compete effectively, so it’s a good matchup from that standpoint,” said David E. Williams, president of the Boston-based consultancy Health Business Group. “It’s unlikely that there will be any serious regulatory opposition to this. If anything, I think the regulators will look favorably on this. I think it will help creat...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 1, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Hospitals hallmark health care Massachusetts tufts Source Type: blogs
Hallmark and Tufts combine: I’m quoted
From the Boston Globe:
The parent company of Tufts Medical Center plans to expand its hospital network with the addition of Hallmark Health System, a merger that will help both sides compete in a market dominated by bigger institutions…
“Both of these systems were undersized to be able to compete effectively, so it’s a good matchup from that standpoint,” said David E. Williams, president of the Boston-based consultancy Health Business Group. “It’s unlikely that there will be any serious regulatory opposition to this. If anything, I think the regulators will look favorably on this. I think it will help creat...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 1, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Hospitals hallmark health care Massachusetts tufts Source Type: blogs
Health Wonk Review is up at Health Affairs Blog
Check out the latest edition of the Health Wonk Review, posted today on Health Affairs Blog. It’s a Pot Luck edition so you’ll get a little bit of everything. (Source: Health Business Blog)
Source: Health Business Blog - June 16, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Announcements Blogs Policy and politics Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Staying away from substance abuse on campus
Safe at home
The opioid epidemic is truly devastating. Drug overdoses (mostly opioids) are a leading cause of death in the US, topping guns and car crashes. People don’t want to become addicted to drugs or die from overdoses, so why does it happen so often?
It often starts with a doctor writing a prescription for someone complaining of chronic or acute pain or following a surgical procedure. Little thought is given to the number of pills prescribed; extra pills are either consumed by the patient or left lying around in the medicine cabinet where they may be taken by family members or house guests who have developed a ha...
Source: Health Business Blog - June 15, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Culture Pharma Policy and politics Uncategorized opioids Source Type: blogs
In the future, will every job be a healthcare job?
I’m here for your job
The US added 38,000 jobs in May, including 46,000 in healthcare. In other words, healthcare added more than 100 percent of the new jobs in the economy. That won’t happen every month, but it’s a pretty striking statistic.
What’s going on here?
I recently read The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies, which basically argues that almost all jobs –including highly skilled ones– will be wiped out by automation, robots and artificial intelligence. Case in point: truck drivers and taxi drivers, who will be replaced by self...
Source: Health Business Blog - June 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Culture Economics Technology employment robots Source Type: blogs
Health Wonk Review is up at HealthBlawg
The latest edition of the Health Wonk Review is up at HealthBlawg. As usual, David Harlow is a step ahead of the rest with his social media toolkit. A blog post is not enough, so he’s added a “Blab” where he discusses the carnival.
Enjoy! (Source: Health Business Blog)
Source: Health Business Blog - June 3, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Announcements Blogs Podcast Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
