The new health reform law lays out significant changes to Medicare, including new benefits for enrollees, new taxes to shore up Medicare's financing, and cutbacks in the growth of payments to hospitals and other providers. This brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation explores the reform provisions related to Medicare that will take effect beginning in 2010.
When healthcare reform legislation was passed, many assumed that it would relieve some of the pressure on hospital emergency rooms, which for decades have served as doctors' offices for the uninsured. But if the new law is not coupled with an ambitious plan to deliver care to the newly insured, the ER will continue to be the first place many seek care, writes San Francisco emergency physician Jennifer Brokaw in this article for the Washington Post.
Eighty-seven percent of doctors who described themselves in a new survey as current residents or fellows reported being taught to practice defensive medicine while in medical school or residency. Of survey respondents in the 25- to 34-year-old age bracket, 83% learned to practice defensively by ordering additional tests or referrals, or by avoiding high-risk procedures to safeguard against potential liability. Attending physicians and mentors are teaching these tactics, respondents said.
The Obama administration has unveiled a tax cut for small companies that provide health insurance, but business groups gave it a mixed review. The full benefit goes to companies that have 10 or fewer workers with average salaries of $25,000 or less. They can get the federal government to pick up 35% of their premiums. But sole proprietors aren't eligible. And neither are firms with 25 or more employees, or average wages of $50,000 and above.
Arcadian Health has named James Novello senior vice president and General Counsel. Most recently, Novello was vice president assistant general counsel for Molina Healthcare, where he implemented regulatory compliance, risk management, and HIPAA government investigations. Before that, he was senior healthcare counsel at K&R Group.
The American Academy of Professional Coders has announced the appointment of Deborah Grider as president, effective July 1st. She succeeds Reed Pew, who was recently appointed chairman of the board of directors for Eli Research's healthcare group, which includes AAPC, Inhealthcare, ASHIM, and Practice Builders. Grider joined AAPC one year ago as vice president of strategic development.