Spotlight

Health reform driving interest in comparative effectiveness research

It is well understood that patients with similar medical profiles, conditions and symptoms do not always receive the same care. As the noted surgeon and medical writer Dr. Atul Gawande has said, variation exists in every aspect of medical practice. One way of addressing care variation is to perform head-to-head comparisons of interventions, Goodman indicated. These comparisons, collectively known as comparative effectiveness research, could help determine which types of care result in the best patient outcomes.

"With our health care system under increasing stress, there is a dire need for more information about the effectiveness of medical interventions, which include not only FDA-approved prescription drugs and medical devices, but many medical and surgical procedures," said Cliff Goodman, vice president, The Lewin Group.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 designates $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness research. "What the government is seeking to learn here is not just what works, but what works better than something else that works," said William Crown, Ph.D., president of i3, a division of Ingenix with expertise in clinical trials and study design, drug safety, health economics and outcomes research. Continue reading this article online. Blank (8/14)

Employers

Large employers team up to negotiate best prices from hospitals and doctors
Joining together to take health care costs into their own hands, more than a dozen large employers in Wisconsin succeeded in reducing their expenses by taking bids directly from doctors and hospitals and excluding the most expensive providers. The group, the Business Health Care Group, now has almost 1,000 employer members. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) (7/30)

Helping employees make informed medical decisions could benefit bottom line
Employers can provide their workers with aids to help them make informed decisions about their own medical care, such as what treatment options to choose for prostate cancer or breast cancer. "On average, patients are more risk averse than physicians," said one expert, and that could lead to cost savings. The Wall Street Journal (8/4)

Colorado Business Group on Health posts doctor ratings online
The Colorado Business Group on Health launched a pilot program at www.coloradohealthonline.org/, where the public can see patient ratings of Denver-based primary-care doctors. "We expect this information to not only be helpful to patients, but also to all of the physicians," said the Colorado Medical Society president. American City Business Journals/Denver (7/23)

Private sector may follow OPM's example in implementing work/life programs
The federal government's Office of Personnel Management is initiating new work/life programs for its employees and some say the private sector will be following suit. Telework is just one of many ways employers can improve work/life balance for workers. "Telework is a great tool and one that we are working to expand and implement more broadly, but by no means is it the be-all, end-all," said the OPM director. Workforce Management Online (7/2009)

Wegmans employees see health benefits from company wellness challenge
Wegmans offered its employees the opportunity to participate in the Eat Well Live Well Challenge for the seventh year in a row. Workers taking part reported losing weight, lowering blood pressure, improving their cholesterol levels and quitting smoking. Supermarket News (8/4)

Hospitals

Ascension Health reduces errors and saves hundreds of lives
Ascension Health, a chain of hospitals in 20 states, found it was able to prevent more error-related deaths than it even hoped -- 1,200 compared with its goal of 900 per year -- with its program to prevent drug errors and surgical complications, as well as hospital-acquired infections, falls and pressure ulcers. San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers (8/10)

Hospitals take precautions to boost patient safety in ORs
Hospitals are taking new steps in their operating rooms to prevent "never events," or medical errors. For example, at one New York facility surgeons have to visit their patients before entering the OR. Having a culture of safety is "the right thing to do for the patient, the hospital and the community," says the hospital's chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services. Nurse.com (8/10)

Patient safety center tests high-tech hand-washing tracking
One hospital's patient safety center is using radio-frequency identification and infrared to track how often people wash their hands. The goal is to test whether the technology could help lower the incidence of hospital-acquired infections. Health Data Management (7/29)

NICU incorporates developmental care
NICU care providers at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital have started to bring developmental care to their unit, which means focusing on reducing stressors by having quieter conversations and fewer bright lights. The approach also includes involving parents and helping babies with their posture and motoric stability. ADVANCE for Nurses (8/5)

Payers

Digital alert system helps payer inform doctors of important patient information
Independence Blue Cross uses a new tool to digitally alert its doctors before they meet with patients about the patients' status regarding diagnostic tests. For example, a doctor could be alerted that the patient needs a cholesterol screening or a mammogram. The system is "a testament to how the industry can use today's technology to improve patient care by giving me timely, actionable information about my patients," said one doctor. Healthcare IT News (7/28)

Kaiser has lessons to share about EHR implementation
Kaiser Permanente is ahead of the curve in implementing electronic health records in all of its facilities. A company executive said that among the lessons Kaiser learned in implementation were: train clinicians on the job instead of in classes, deploy EHRs all at once instead of unit by unit, and implementation is never over -- there is always more to learn. Health Data Management Magazine (8/2009)

Health plans use new technology, outreach to boost fraud detection
Payers have increased their fraud detection efforts, for example by using technology to find claim discrepancies. The strategy seems to be paying off: Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies saved and recovered more than 40% more through anti-fraud investigations in 2008 than in 2007. Atlantic Information Services/Health Plan Week (8/4)

House calls are a new benefit for certain Aetna members
Aetna is providing its members who live in Dallas-Fort Worth a new benefit when they need to see a doctor for minor problems such as infections or colds: They can receive a house call and be treated in their homes. "We bring teas, soups, juices, water, Tylenol and Advil," said the founder and CEO of the house-call service Aetna added to its provider network. American City Business Journals/Dallas (8/4)

Kaiser tests medical innovations to save time and money
Kaiser Permanente runs a laboratory in California where it tests innovative medical tools such as a talking robotic cart and portable electronic tablets. The company hopes these inventions will save time and, therefore, ultimately help cut costs. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.) (free registration) (7/28)

Pharma

Emerging markets are major component of drugmakers' future
Drug companies should be developing new markets, this Financial Times article says, noting the countries that IMS Health calls "pharmemerging markets": China, Russia, India, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey and South Korea. "We are very interested in emerging markets, especially China, India, the Middle East, Turkey and North Africa," said Eisai's chief executive. Financial Times (free content) (8/3)

PhRMA plans TV ads in support of Obama's health care reform
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is finalizing its budget and plans for a large-scale ad campaign supporting the White House's health care reform efforts. "Our board has agreed to make a significant investment in support of comprehensive reform," said PhRMA spokesman Ken Johnson. NYTimes.com (8/8)

Push for personalized medicine may lead to more drug/diagnostic firm partnerships
A new PricewaterhouseCoopers report suggests that personalized medicine may finally make its entrance into mainstream health care. The report predicts more drugmaker/diagnostic firm alliances due in part to pressure to reduce health care costs. Reuters (7/30)

Lilly posts doctor payments online to increase transparency
Eli Lilly has posted its Faculty Registry, which discloses all payments to doctor consultants the drug company made in the first three months of this year, online. Lilly said it is making this information public to increase transparency. The Wall Street Journal/Health Blog (7/31)

Two drugmakers agree to lower prices to help drug-resistant HIV/AIDS patients
Pfizer and Matrix Laboratories will make drugs more affordable for drug-resistant HIV/AIDS patients in the developing world through a deal the two companies made with former U.S. President Bill Clinton's foundation. The agreement "will help ensure we can sustain treatment over a lifetime and better treat patients with both HIV and TB, two key steps in turning the tide of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic," said Clinton. Reuters (8/6)

Physicians

Bottom line benefits when doctors team with nurses to care for chronically ill
A new report finds that teams of physicians and nurses focused on "proactive, evidence-based, comprehensive" health care for patients suffering chronic illnesses help save money through fewer days in a hospital or nursing home and fewer visits to the emergency room. MedPage Today (free registration) (8/7)

New obesity-medicine certification coming in 2010
Starting next year there will be a new type of certification available for doctors: the Obesity Medicine Physician Certification. Physicians will have to pass a test covering nutrition, exercise, medicine and psychology to qualify. USA TODAY (8/4)

Cost-cutting efforts could lead to different doctor-patient conversations
Efforts to slow the growth of health care costs could ultimately lead to different types of conversations between physicians and patients. Doctors are likely to start talking about the costs of different medications and treatments as well as the potential health benefits. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (8/2)

Addressing patients in a way that makes them comfortable and confident
Young doctors have to use their judgment to decide how formally or informally to address their patients. First names are common these days, but one doctor says if his patients are 10 years or more older than he is, he starts with a more formal introduction. The Repository (Canton, Ohio) (8/11)

Doctors provide free treatment through Remote Area Medical
Doctors volunteering for Remote Area Medical travel to provide services from X-rays to pap smears at health fairs. "The appearance of a RAM team means an opportunity for poor folks to get some real treatment free of charge," said the RAM founder. Yahoo!/Agence France-Presse (7/29)

Public Sector

Community centers hold promise for saving states millions in health care costs
A recent study found that when Indiana invested in community health centers, it reaped benefits in overall state health care savings. The investment led to less emergency room spending and fewer hospital inpatient admissions. The study also found that care in community centers is cheaper than that in other settings. Healthcare Finance News (7/29)

Massachusetts wants to move from fee-for-service to flat annual fee per patient
Massachusetts will try to end its fee-for-service system, under which doctors are paid by the quantity of services they provide -- a system criticized for rewarding physicians for more procedures and services. Instead, the state wants to pay a flat annual fee to providers for each patient they care for. Kaiser Health News/National Public Radio (8/6)

Joint Commission encourages parents to speak up for kids' safety
The Joint Commission, which accredits U.S. hospitals, is encouraging parents of children in the hospital to be more active in preserving their kids' safety by doing things like reminding care providers to wash their hands and making sure they know about the child's allergies. The Wall Street Journal/Health Blog (8/5)

U.S. military uses telecommunication to make mental health services more convenient
As of the beginning of this month, the Defense Department's Military Health System has two new health IT programs -- a telemental health program and the Web-based TRICARE Assistance Program -- that offer members convenient counseling and other mental health services. Healthcare IT News (8/3)

FDA partners with European counterpart on clinical trial inspections
The U.S. The Food and Drug Administration will collaborate with the European Medicines Agency on clinical trial inspections. "Collaboration with international allies like the EMEA will lead to exciting opportunities for progress in public health," said the head of the FDA. Modern Healthcare (free registration) (8/3)

Workers' Compensation & Auto Liability

New reporting Web site facilitates quicker detection of workers' comp fraud
In under two months, a new Web site launched by the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation has netted $526,000 in penalties. Anyone who suspects workers' compensation noncompliance can make a complaint through the site, which also allows state officials to launch investigations more quickly. American City Business Journals/Tampa Bay, Fla. (8/11)

Pinnacol Assurance of Colorado says it wants more autonomy
Pinnacol Assurance, the state-chartered workers' compensation insurer in Colorado, is eyeing privatization. "We've looked at possibly beginning to pay state premium tax. We can start paying that to the state if we are a true mutual [insurance] company," said the company's president and chief executive. Insurance Journal/The Associated Press (7/31)

Task force studies privatization of CompSource Oklahoma
A task force convened earlier this month is studying how to privatize the state's workers' compensation insurer, CompSource Oklahoma. State lawmakers intend to make the insurer a private entity by the end of next year. Insurance Journal/The Associated Press (8/7)

Workers' comp insurer made sufficient profits to give policyholders refunds
Connecticut-based Hartford Financial Services Group said Florida residents who hold workers' compensation policies with the company will be receiving refunds totaling $48.2 million due to the insurer's excess profits. Google/The Associated Press (8/12)

Auto insurers' direct repair programs are good for insurers, collision shops
Auto insurers' direct repair programs can benefit collision shop owners through the steady stream of business they bring. "There are benefits for both the shop and the insurer," said an official with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. Search-AutoParts.com/Automotive Body Repair News (8/10)

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