Archive
Doctors Caught Between Patient Pain, Prescriptions – HealthLeaders Media
For some physician leaders, pain management may become a significant boon to their business, especially as the U.S. population ages. In a Health Leaders Media Industry survey this year, 37% predicted pain management will grow 1 to 5% over the next five years.
But doctors are on a precipice as they prescribe pain medication, especially long-acting and extended-release opioid analgesics such as oxycodone. Most are aware of the persistent potential for abuse, misuse, or mistaken use of the highly potent prescription drugs among patients. And the stress is mounting – for the docs.
States are tightening treatment requirements, while the federal government weighs the possibility of mandatory educational plans for doctors in their handling of opioids, putting federal officials at loggerheads with much of the medical establishment.
Some physicians are so upset over what they term the “bureaucratic” infringements, that they are considering no longer seeing patients who seek pain treatment. Instead, they would prefer to refer those patients to colleagues who are willing to prescribe potent analgesics.
See on www.healthleadersmedia.com
For an aggregation of other articles on Hot Topics in Healthcare Law, go to my magazine on Scoop.it – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law and Regulation and my newspaper on Paper.li – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law.
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
Colorado Shootings Put Docs vs. Glocks Law in Spotlight – HealthLeaders Media
Should doctors warn patients about the risks of guns in the home?
In Florida, physicians who did just that could have lost their medical licenses—until recently.
Weeks before one of the worst gun violence incidents in U.S. history, a group of physicians won a court victory in a little-noticed case against a Florida law that threatened to strip doctors of their medical licenses if they warned patients about the risks of guns in the home.
Florida politicians, citing Second Amendment rights, were adamant that docs weren’t in the gun-counseling business, and passed a statute to thwart such discussions. The physicians, however, prevailed in federal court to halt the measure.
See on www.healthleadersmedia.com
For an aggregation of other articles on Hot Topics in Healthcare Law, go to my magazine on Scoop.it – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law and Regulation and my newspaper on Paper.li – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law.
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
In new effort to tackle health care fraud, government and insurers to scrutinize claims data
The Obama administration is upping the ante in the fight against health care fraud, joining forces with private insurers and state investigators on a scale not previously seen in an attempt to stanch tens of billions of dollars in losses.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement Thursday that the new public-private partnership “puts criminals on notice that we will find them and stop them,” while Attorney General Eric Holder called it “a critical step forward” against fraud, an endemic problem plaguing programs like Medicare and Medicare as well as private insurance companies.
The analysis of data from Medicare, Medicaid and private health plans will look for suspicious patterns and other evidence that might indicate fraud, White House officials said. A “trusted third party” would comb through the data and turn questionable billing over to insurers or federal investigators.
See on www.washingtonpost.com
For an aggregation of other articles on Hot Topics in Healthcare Law, go to my magazine on Scoop.it – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law and Regulation and my newspaper on Paper.li – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law.
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
Aurora Health Care and Aetna Form Accountable Care Collaboration, Offer New Commercial Health Care Products
AETNA Press Release regarding New Commwerical ACO Venture:
Aurora Health Care has joined with Aetna (NYSE: AET) to bring employers a new type of commercial health plan designed to improve employees’ health care experience and health outcomes, while controlling costs. The Aurora Accountable Care Network offers businesses a high-quality, affordable alternative in a time of rising health care spending.
“Aetna views accountable care organizations as a model for making health care work better for everyone.”
The Aurora Accountable Care Network offers a price guarantee to employers built upon a health care model that improves quality, outcomes and the patient experience. This type of price guarantee is possibly the first of its kind among accountable care models. Employers will see real savings in what they spend on health care as a result of improved patient outcomes and greater efficiencies. Cost savings will be specific to each employer, with the potential for an average 10 percent reduction based on the employer’s past claims expenses. The plans with Aetna will be effective beginning Jan. 1, 2013.
“This is a game changer,” said Nick Turkal, MD, Aurora Health Care’s president and CEO. “We are pleased to collaborate with Aetna to make our accountable care model available to the commercial health insurance market. As an employer, we have met national quality benchmarks among our own employees, while curbing our health care costs. Now we aim to replicate this success for others.”
Mark T. Bertolini, Aetna chairman, CEO and president, said, “We are building on our strong provider relationships to establish a nationwide accountable network that offers better care at a lower cost for everyone. Aurora Health Care has revolutionized health care in Wisconsin. Aetna’s industry-leading care management programs and consumer tools together with Aurora’s outstanding patient care model will lead to a better overall health care experience.”
See on www.businesswire.com
For an aggregation of other articles on Hot Topics in Healthcare Law, go to my magazine on Scoop.it – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law and Regulation and my newspaper on Paper.li – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law.
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
Getting the Methods Right — The Foundation of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research — NEJM
Perspective from The New England Journal of Medicine —
Health care in the United States has changed dramatically over the past several decades. Today, patients have more options than ever. Making the right choices, whether for prevention, diagnosis, or treatment, requires a critical appraisal of the potential benefits and harms of the options, within the context of the patient’s characteristics, conditions, and preferences.
Many of these choices are available thanks to advances in medical research. Yet most patients and many clinicians find research somewhat mysterious. They have difficulty sorting through the mountains of medical evidence to identify information that is reliable and actionable for their unique circumstances. Patient-centered outcomes research and comparative-effectiveness research promise to enhance decision makers’ ability to fully understand and weigh alternatives.
See on www.nejm.org
For an aggregation of other articles on Hot Topics in Healthcare Law, go to my magazine on Scoop.it – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law and Regulation and my newspaper on Paper.li – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law.
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
The Supreme Court and the Future of Medicaid — NEJM
Perspective from The New England Journal of Medicine —
Perhaps the biggest of the many surprises found in the Supreme Court’s June 28 decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was the Court’s conclusion that the law’s Medicaid expansion scheduled for 2014 was unconstitutional.1 Attention before June 28 was focused on whether the Court would uphold the individual mandate to obtain health insurance coverage, but in the wake of the Court’s decision, focus has shifted to the question of whether states will refuse to participate in expanding the Medicaid program, given the Court’s holding that the Secretary of Health and Human Services cannot enforce the expansion as a mandate.
See on www.nejm.org
For an aggregation of other articles on Hot Topics in Healthcare Law, go to my magazine on Scoop.it – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law and Regulation and my newspaper on Paper.li – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law.
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
Gov. Rick Scott ranks Florida counties’ health departments – Tampa Bay Times
Another arm of state government can be added to the growing list of agencies ranked at the behest of Gov. Rick Scott.
Through a public record request, the Times/Herald has obtained a copy of a report that rates the performance of the state’s 67 county health departments.
Indian River County, with a raw score of 58 points out of 69, is at the top of the list. Liberty County’s 23 points is the lowest. Hillsborough County ranked below the average score of 47, and was next-to-last among major metro counties.
The Department of Health, which came up with the ranking system at Scott’s request, says the document completed in December is still a work in progress. The report includes health data, as well as the result of customer satisfaction and employee surveys. It also factors in financial stability and leadership effectiveness.
See on www.tampabay.com
For an aggregation of other articles on Hot Topics in Healthcare Law, go to my magazine on Scoop.it – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law and Regulation and my newspaper on Paper.li – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law.
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
HHS: Hospitals ignoring requirements to report errors
Hospitals are ignoring state regulations that require them to report cases in which medical care harmed a patient, making it almost impossible for health care providers to identify and fix preventable problems, a report to be released today by the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general shows.
…
Researchers say the hospitals’ failure to report problems isn’t a sign of a coverup but rather the staffs’ ignorance of the regulations and what they need to report.
…
Hope for the future lies in electronic health records, Adler says, because “we may be able to prevent events, we may be able to ameliorate events, and (electronic records) may become your surveillance system.”
Incentives included in the 2010 federal health care law to encourage more hospitals to use electronic records may change how errors are tracked and addressed, say researchers of the inspector general’s study.
The health care system is “right on the cusp” of identifying “safety issues just as they happen,” said David Classen, a University of Utah associate professor of medicine and infectious disease.
See on www.usatoday.com
For an aggregation of other articles on Hot Topics in Healthcare Law, go to my magazine on Scoop.it – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law and Regulation and my newspaper on Paper.li – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law.
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
AHCA, therapist fight over notes | Top Story | Health News Florida
Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration has been trying to shut down Hillandale Assisted Living, a home for mentally disabled adults, for over a year — ever since The Miami Herald reported its long record of abuse and neglect.
But the Pasco County assisted-living facility (ALF) has demanded a full evidentiary hearing. The resulting legal battle has a Tampa mental-health counselor pinned in the middle.
Joanna Theiss Mulder, who counsels residents of Hillandale and other ALFs, has been ordered to testify and turn over her patient records under an AHCA subpoena. Mulder refuses.
In court papers filed on Wednesday, Mulder argued that it would actually violate the law for her to release any records without her patients’ consent.
The patients named on Muller’s subpoena “specifically object to AHCA’s effort to access their records as an invasion of their privacy,” said the papers filed in Hillsborough Circuit Court.
The irony is that both AHCA’s attorney and Mulder see themselves as protectors of the mentally-ill clients who live at Hillandale, judging from their legal arguments.
See on healthnewsflorida.org
For an aggregation of other articles on Hot Topics in Healthcare Law, go to my magazine on Scoop.it – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law and Regulation and my newspaper on Paper.li – Hot Topics in Healthcare Law.
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
Patients seek Internet information to start dialogue with physicians about their care – amednews.com
Richard Kravitz, M.D. co-wrote a study that appeared online May 16 in the Journal of Health Communication that he hopes will help other physicians become more at ease when dealing with Internet-searching patients.
One of the most important things doctors should know, he said, is that patients aren’t going online because they don’t trust their physician or are skeptical of their diagnosis. They are searching the Internet to become more engaged in their care.
Dr. Kravitz said patients, especially those with rare conditions, can be a good source of new information for physicians. But while patients may be proficient at finding material online, the doctor’s role is to help them sort through it and assess whether it’s credible, he said.
“Doctors should try to relax about this and just engage in conversations with patients about the information they bring in, some of which will be truthful and relevant, and others won’t be,” Dr. Kravitz said. “We can’t do anything else except to have a candid dialogue about it.”
See on www.ama-assn.org
For an aggregation of other articles on improving healthcare, go to my internet magazine Scoop.it! Changing Health for the Better.
Joseph Rugg's Health Law Blog 