Diet and Nutrition. Natural Health, and Healthy Living

Dermatologist Bernard Ackerman has many sun splotches -- but he isn't worried that they place him at higher risk for cancer. Read Article > (more...)

Several contributors to THCB have commented that long-term care tends to get short shrift in healthcare discussions. New research might help to make a case for why we can no longer afford to demote this critical issue as we contemplate overarching healthcare financing strategies.

In the report, researchers looked at beneficiaries ages 65 and older who receive help with three or more activities of daily living (ADLs) -- longhand for people who need long-term care -- and found that, even though these individuals represent only 7% of the Medicare population, they account for nearly 25% of spending in Medicare Part A and B.

(more...)

I am always struck by the difference between the salesmanship of health plans offering consumer-driven health products and the reality of the data.

James Robinson and Paul Ginsburg have an article in the January 27th edition of Health Affairs with an objective review of the consumer-driven movement of recent years.

Here is the central point of the article:

The performance of consumer-driven health care has fallen short of both the aspirations of its proponents and the fears of its critics. Growth of the favored organizational forms, including HDHPs and individually purchased insurance, has been anemic. The forms of insurance and sponsorship originally embodied in the consumer-driven vision have mutated into forms far from those originally envisaged. This process is not unique to consumerism, but one well known to managed care, where the original group-/staff-model HMO was diluted into the loosely structured independent practice association (IPA)-model plan and the sponsorship framework of managed competition into the "total replacement" purchasing format of self-insured employers.

(more...)

There's been a tremendous amount of activity around the site lately and I want to make sure that Medical Spa MDs new sponsors, advertisers and partners arent' missed.

(more...)

The Senate passed its version of legislation to renew the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Thursday, bringing the bill very close to its long overdue White House signing ceremony. The new bill is expected to cover an additional 4.1 million uninsured children by 2013.

Most importantly, the new bill – like the old ones vetoed by President Bush – gives states new funding to sustain and strengthen their SCHIP programs. This will occur just in time, as families hit by the economic downturn look for affordable coverage options. It also gives states new tools to reach already-eligible, uninsured children and provides them with performance-based incentives to enroll them.

(more...)

Electronic medical record (EMR) adoption has remained frustratingly low, despite numerous studies showing improvement in healthcare delivery resulting from EMR use, measured in many different ways (quality, consistency, cost, etc). The Obama administration has proposed widespread, even universal, EMR implementation over the next 5 years, though how to accomplish it remains to be seen. The Medicare reimbursement “bump” given to physicians this year to use electronic prescribing is a step in this direction, trying to create incentives.

(more...)

A little birdie contacted me leading me to wonder, what did the former CEO of Sutter Health Van Johnson do to get paid $5.6 million for working for a “part year” in 2006? (See page 100 of this PDF). It may go somewhat to explaining why a) Sutter is the most expensive hospital system in Northern California, and b) why the unions hate it so much! On the other hand we’re entitled to wonder when the web site says things like this:

Unlike investor-owned health care systems, Sutter Health is a not-for-profit organization. As such, any money left over after employees and bills have been paid is reinvested in health care.

(more...)

As an annual meeting of progressives should start, the Families USA conference of health advocates began in Washington D.C. this morning with applause and cheers of the announcement of President Obama's imminent signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the anticipated adoption of a bill expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

I missed the day's first talk by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who has been making headlines lately for his adopted role of Medicare kickback watchdog. (He's the only Republican I see on the agenda.)

(more...)

New Report: Without Reform, Health Costs Will double Economic Recovery Bill and Broader Health Reform Urgently Needed Sacramento, CA— Without action from Congress, premiums and deductibles for residents of California with employer provided insurance will nearly double by 2016, according to a new report released today by the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG). “Unchecked, health care premiums will double by 2016,” (more...)

Over the past decade as a CIO, I've had successes and failures. I've learned about leadership in a crisis , how to resolve disputes, and how to serve my customers/employees/superiors . As I watch the first few days of the Obama administration, I have a great deal of respect for the initial activity, as seen through the lens of my own leadership experience. Here are five reasons I have great optimism for the new administration:
(more...)