HealthLeadersMedia.com - Around the Web

Obamacare isn't getting repealed. But not because it's popular.

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:12:00 GMT

The GOP-controlled House will try for the 37th time later Thursday to repeal Obamacare. Like the first 36 times, the effort will gain no traction beyond the lower chamber. Is that because of a Democratic Senate and White House? Absolutely. Is it because the law is popular? No, because it's not. As House Republican renew their assault, it's worth bearing in mind that President Obama's health care law continues to divide the public. An April Kaiser Health Tracking Poll showed that Americans were split over the law, with a narrow plurality saying they held an unfavorable view of it:

Boehner: No ACA replacement timetable

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:10:00 GMT

House Speaker John Boehner was noncommittal on when — or even if — Republicans would put a bill on the floor to replace President Barack Obama's health care law. "I expect our conference in the coming weeks to have a discussion about Obamacare and how we're going to deal with it, and what the replacement legislation would look like," Boehner said. Republicans offered replacements to the Affordable Care Act when they were in the minority. And the Pledge to America — their promises to voters when they took the majority in 2011 — clearly stated that they would "repeal and replace the government takeover of health care." They've passed some bills that would do that.

Sebelius limited her fundraising for health law to two companies

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:08:00 GMT

The U.S. health secretary's solicitation of money from companies to promote the Affordable Care Act ended after two phone calls, to H&R Block Inc. (HRB) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, according to her spokesman. Enroll America, a nonprofit promoting the 2010 health law had asked Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to help raise money from a longer list of companies. Sebelius solicited two for money, and only asked the others for technical advice and nonfinancial support because they were regulated by her department, said Jason Young a spokesman for the agency.

Obamacare: 3 years in, it faces steep challenges

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:04:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- The Affordable Care Act is sure to survive the latest vote by the House of Representatives Thursday to repeal it — since the Senate doesn't plan to take it up and President Obama would veto a repeal bill if it somehow reached his desk — but the administration's signature legislative achievement still faces serious perils ahead. Americans have a dimmer view of the health care law now than they did when Obama triumphantly signed it three years ago, according to monthly tracking polls by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

NC state officials pitch Medicaid managed care to doctors

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:03:00 GMT

DURHAM — The McCrory administration's plan to convert the $13 billion Medicaid program to managed care remains an outline as two top health officials travel the state pitching it to doctors and other health care providers. Dr. Aldona Wos, head of the state Department of Health and Human Services, told a crowd of doctors and other health care providers that she wanted them to help figure out the next steps. The aim is to integrate physical, mental and dental health and make costs predictable for the state.

Contract ready for health data exchange in PA

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:59:00 GMT

Pennsylvania is set to sign a contract with a Michigan-based information technology contractor to build the backbone of the state's new health communications network, a system that will allow for the exchange of patient data among doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and insurance companies. Truven Health Analytics, based in Ann Arbor, is in line to build what's being called Pennsylvania's "community shared services" network, a platform that will allow all of the state's existing health information exchanges to communicate with each other and swap data. ?

Hospital charges and the need for a maximum price obligation rule

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:56:00 GMT

The release of average charges for common procedures in more than 3,000 U. S. hospitals last week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) elicited divergent reactions ? not surprisingly. On one hand, it was front-page news for most of the major newspapers: "Hospital Billing Varies Wildly, Government Billing Data Shows," was the headline in the New York Times. The article went on to speculate that these new data would likely "intensify a long debate over the methods that hospitals use to determine their charges." On the other hand the data were "old hat" to most health policy analysts.

Pills tracked from doctor to patient to aid drug marketing

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:51:00 GMT

In the old days, sales representatives from drug companies would chat up local pharmacists to learn what drugs doctors were prescribing. Now such shoulder-rubbing is becoming a quaint memory — thanks to vast databases of patient and doctor information being used by pharmaceutical companies to market drugs. The information allows drug makers to know which drugs a doctor is prescribing and how that compares to a colleague across town. They know whether patients are filling their prescriptions — and refilling them on time. They know details of patients' medical conditions and lab tests, and sometimes even their age, income and ethnic backgrounds.

Medical robot lets off-site doctors work quickly to diagnose patients

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:47:00 GMT

On any given day inside Mercy San Juan Medical Center's neuro-intensive care unit, a 5-foot-6-inch-tall robot with a computer screen can be seen roaming the halls. The robot, named RP-VITA (Remote Presence Virtual Independent Telemedicine Assistant), is equipped with videoconferencing capabilities so doctors can beam in when there is an emergency. "Before, you couldn't see the patient when an important decision needed to be made," said Dr. Alan Shatzel, a neurologist at the Mercy Neurological Institute. "This has proven to be tremendously valuable."

Seeking calm on the cancer ward

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:42:00 GMT

When people choose to have their leukemia treated aggressively, it's a big commitment, more so than for almost any other cancer. With this therapy — three days of the drug daunorubicin, which comes in a reddish color so distinctive that one of my patients, a former chemist, used it in his professional life as a dye for plastics, and seven days of the drug cytarabine, which is infused continuously over 168 hours — we offer them the chance to be cured of a disease moving like wildfire with a stiff breeze behind it at the height of drought.

Medicare spending projections are plummeting

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:16:00 GMT

Here's the story budget wonks will tell from today's Congressional Budget Office report: The deficit is poised to shrink to its lowest level since 2008. Good news? Yes, if you're a deficit hawk. Bad news? Yes, if you think (as I do) the deficit is falling too quickly, especially at a time of high unemployment and declining household debt. Here's the story I wish more people would talk about: Our incredible shrinking Medicare projections. Since August, CBO has now revised down its projections of mandatory health care spending by nearly $500 billion, as Michael Linden pointed out. Since the 2010 CBO report, projected Medicare spending between 2013 and 2020 has fallen by just over $1 trillion ... or 16%.

What the IRS scandal means for healthcare reform

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:14:00 GMT

The revelation that the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny has given fuel to Republican complaints of government overreach. It's also given them more ammunition in their fight against the implementation of President Obama's health care law. Half of the billion dollars allocated to cover implementation of the Affordable Care Act went to the IRS. Starting in 2014, the agency will distribute subsidies for health-care coverage through state exchanges and issue penalties against individuals who do not get or businesses that do nor provide insurance.

Top pay went to former West Penn Allegheny Health System execs

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:11:00 GMT

Christopher Olivia, who stepped down as West Penn Allegheny Health System president and CEO two years ago, was nevertheless the health system's highest compensated employee in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, newly released tax documents show. Dr. Olivia received just under $678,000 in base compensation and $2.5 million in bonus and incentive pay, which combined with retirement and other benefits, brought his total compensation to just over $6 million. He resigned in June 2011 after Highmark and WPAHS announced plans to affiliate.

UnitedHealth, Humana may see surge in Medicare Advantage

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:08:00 GMT

Enrollment in the U.S.-funded Medicare plans run by UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), Humana Inc. and other insurers may rise 50 percent in the next decade rather than declining as predicted earlier, U.S. budget analysts said. Medicare Advantage plans for the elderly and disabled will swell to 21 million participants by fiscal 2023 from 14 million this year, the Congressional Budget Office said yesterday in its annual review of the federal budget. The CBO didn't explain the revision from its previous estimate that enrollment would fall to 11 million and a spokeswoman didn't respond to an e-mail.

Docs, nurses disagree over expanded nurse roles

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:05:00 GMT

As nurse practitioners lobby to expand their authority and scope of practice in many states, a New England Journal of Medicine study released Wednesday documents a deep chasm between doctors and nurses on that issue. The study found the two groups overwhelmingly agreed that nurse practitioners should be able to practice to the full extent of their schooling and training. But doctors were less likely to concur that advanced practice nurses should lead medical homes, which deliver team-based, coordinated care to patients. Only 17 percent of the 505 primary care physicians surveyed agreed with that notion, compared to 82 percent of the 467 nurse practitioners surveyed.

Temporary restraining order issued in FTC/Phoebe case

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:01:00 GMT

ALBANY, Ga. — A ruling has come down from U.S. District Judge Louis Sands issuing a temporary restraining order in the case regarding the purchase of the former Palmyra Medical Center, enjoining the Phoebe Putney Health System and the Hospital Authority of Albany-Dougherty County from taking any further steps to consolidate Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and its nearby sister hospital. In the order that was filed Wednesday, it states that the Federal Trade Commission maintained a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction were needed to preserve the 'status quo' pending the outcome of the administrative proceedings in regards to the acquisition of the hospital now known as Phoebe North Campus.

Sutter deal transfers East Bay hospital

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:58:00 GMT

Alameda Health System of Oakland says it has signed a letter of intent with Sacramento's Sutter Health to take over Sutter's San Leandro Hospital. San Leandro Hospital is a 93-bed facility, part of the Sutter Health Eden Medical Center campus in San Leandro. AHS said the proposed transfer depends on both parties developing a definitive agreement by July 1. That agreement would then be submitted to the AHS board for approval. AHS officials hope to conclude the transaction this fall. AHS said the letter of intent stipulates that Sutter Health will establish and fund a community trust that can be used by AHS to support the operations of San Leandro Hospital.

Why 'Medicare-for-all' is not the answer

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:55:00 GMT

The Affordable Care Act survived the Supreme Court and a presidential election, so why does it face such an uncertain future? One reason is that it was essentially silent on how to control costs. This has led many pundits — including the likes of Paul Krugman and Robert Reich — to argue that the best approach would be to extend Medicare to everyone. A January National Research Council report on the relative disadvantage of America in global health outcomes, especially compared to countries with national health insurance, added further fuel to the fire. But is a larger government role in health insurance the best approach?

US sets $1 billion healthcare innovation initiative

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:51:00 GMT

The Obama administration on Wednesday announced a $1 billion initiative to fund innovations in federal healthcare programs aimed at cutting costs while improving the health results. The Department of Health and Human Services said the money will be used to award and evaluate projects that test new payment and delivery models for federal programs including Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. The announcement marks the second round of innovation initiatives for the administration under President Barack Obama's 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

House GOP knocks healthcare reform in 'Arrested Development' spoof

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:46:00 GMT

House Republicans are jumping on the recent woes of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and tying the agency's credibility to its forthcoming role in implementing President Obama's healthcare reform. Spoofing the opening credits of the popular TV show "Arrested Development," the House Republican Conference blasts ObamaCare's impact on small businesses saying the legislation would have a devastating impact on insurance premiums for business owners.