In radiology, automated worklist tools help ensure that the right study gets to the right radiologist in the least amount of time. However, most worklists lack the capability to filter exam interpretation assignments on the basis of insurance reimbursement.
Now a team of physicians from Staten Island University Hospital in New York has addressed the deficiency by developing a worklist tool that assigns studies based on a patient's insurance and a radiologist's credentialing status.
The American Medical Association's new policy on medical travel puts the rights of patients ahead of American physician protectionism. That's good news for global hospitals, payers, employers, medical travel companies, and most of all patients.
I spoke last week with J. James Rohack, MD, a cardiologist from Bryan, TX, and the new president-elect of the AMA. He says some members were concerned that employers and insurers were forcing patients into medical tourism. In fact, according to a report on the association's Web site, the New York delegation last year called on the AMA to "seek legislation to prevent insurance companies from incentivizing subscribers in this country to have to go overseas for medical treatment that could be provided locally."
With a healthy dose of common sense, the AMA didn't buy the rhetoric of medical protectionism and instead adopted a policy that respects the patient's right to choose a healthcare provider, whether it's down the block or in Bangkok.
"One of the excuses [protectionists] are using is that insurers are forcing patients to go overseas, which is an absolute lie," says Jonathan Edelheit, president of the Medical Tourism Association. Most insurers that offer patients incentives for medical travel are not drastically changing plan designs; they're simply waiving deductibles and coinsurance and then paying for travel expenses, he adds.
The irony is that the protectionists are the ones attempting to limit choice and force patients to pay the higher price for U.S. healthcare. Even if an employer or insurer offers a patient a financial incentive beyond waiving coinsurance and deductibles, it wouldn't amount to forced medical travel.
Rohack points out that the policy is meant to educate patients about things like the risks associated with traveling with a medical condition, legal rights abroad, and how to identify qualified healthcare providers. In addition, the AMA says follow-up care should be coordinated prior to travel. These are measures any right-thinking healthcare provider would want patients to take before they commit to medical travel.
Not long ago, I wrote that American providers need to get over the fact that healthcare globalization is here and decide whether medical travel is an opportunity to collaborate or a threat that they must compete against. Pushing for legislation against this emerging movement is just a wasted effort. The AMA correctly diagnosed this, but the next step remains.
If Americans continue to seek high-value healthcare from global destination hospitals, as many industry analysts predict, how can providers from across nations create incentives that promote cooperation in the best interest of these patients?
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Trusera, a new social-networking website centered on health, has officially launched. The site features online communities and personalized health information, and allows members to endorse one another's contributions as a way to identify reliable sources of information. Trusera focuses on social networking and storytelling in an effort to foster communities in which users can learn from one another's experiences and seek out knowledgeable advice.
A growing number of people are turning to the Internet for mental-health counseling via instant messaging, e-mail exchanges or videoconferencing. Proponents of the trend cite convenience and anonymity as driving factors, but some mental-health professionals say the lack of face-to-face contact undermines meaningful therapy.
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, CA, uses the Packard Kids Connection Web site to prepare children for their stays at the facility. Nurses at Packard say the high-tech tool is invaluable when it comes to giving kids a sense of control and allaying their fears about the mysteries of surgery. The nurses also see the benefits of the Web site among teen patients, who they say seem more prone to worry and fearing worst-case scenarios.
Low socioeconomic status increases a cancer patient's risk of dying, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Denver. The study found that cancer patients with low socioeconomic status had more advanced cancers at time of diagnosis, received less aggressive treatment, and had a higher risk of dying within five years of diagnosis. Researchers analyzed data on almost 14,000 breast, prostate and colorectal patients in seven states.