Posted by barbarahales
After being kicked around for more than a year, meaningful use has been defined and waiting for implementation. Yet, many hospitals and physician offices have not been able to employ them yet and won’t be able to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid bonus payments by 2012 or even 2015, when penalties for non-use start.
Although may [...]
Posted by barbarahales
According to Dr. Berwick who was recently given a recess appointment by President Obama to head CMS (centers for Medicare and Medicaid), a “pay-for-performance” program will decrease the cost of healthcare. This statement comes from someone who spent most of his career as an academician, not a practicing physician as his pediatric training would suggest.
More [...]
Posted by barbarahales
Isn’t it amazing that only a short time ago Dr. Kevorkian was vilified for assisted euthanasia. And yet, now according to lead articles in JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine, the cost of end-of-life care is being discussed as a potential way to cut waste expenditures in healthcare. This will be addressed by [...]
Posted by barbarahales
Perhaps you have heard that Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Federal District Court of the Washington D.C. has put the brakes on stem cell aid? Many thought that after President Obama gave the nod in 2009 for stem cell research expansion, that it was a “done- deal”. Apparently not.
The judge has objected in his [...]
Posted by barbarahales
How does President Obama plan to save money for Medicare?
According to Richard Foster, the Medicare chief actuary, in the 2010 Medicare Trustees Report, projections for decreases and savings in Medicare spending are totally unrealistic because providers cannot cope financially with the cuts and meet their expenses.
The prices paid by Medicare for health services [...]
Posted by barbarahales
A recent survey looked at the question ” What percentage of Adults in the U.S. look for their healthcare information online?”. This has been an ongoing study with comparisons between years as more people become tech saavy.
Where as 51% of adults searched the web in 2004 and 27% in 1998, a whopping 76% of adults [...]
Posted by barbarahales
The AMA issued a new report regarding medical malpractice cases. The latest information reveals that 95 claims are filed for every 100 doctors- approximately 1 per doctor.
Even though more than 66% of suits are dismissed, it is obvious that the cost to malpractice premiums will continue to escalate and these statistics encourage healthcare workers to [...]
Posted by barbarahales
Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, states that Medicare funds will extend beyond 2029 assuming that Medicare payment reimbursements to doctors will go forward, Associated Press reports.
Richard Foster, the Medicare Actuary, warned in the report that the program’s projected savings might not be realistic. The report considers a 23% Medicare payment cut to physicians [...]
Posted by barbarahales
At a time where we are constantly hearing about business and the lack of ethics, it is especially refreshing to hear about Mike Lazaridis, the founder of Research in Motion and developer of the Blackberry phone.
Saudi Arabia, the latest in a long list of countries has put pressure on R.I.M. to spy on messages that [...]
Posted by barbarahales
The article today was submitted by Dereke L.Jones
Confusion reigns due to the many transitions and federally mandated upgrades regarding medical information.
From the switch to 5010 transaction standards in preparation for ICD-10-CM/PCS to the adoption of EMR, the value of HIT expertise must soon be realized. When considering the many changes that will take place [...]