Patty Lavely, senior vice president and CIO of Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, GA, says CIOs should focus on educating senior executives about what it really takes to support advanced HIT systems, such as staffing levels, infrastructure requirements, and system reliability standards. [Sponsored by Emdeon]
Royal Philips has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the assets of InnerCool Therapies Inc. InnerCool, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cardium Therapeutics, Inc., will be acquired in an asset purchase transaction for $11.25 million, as well as the transfer of approximately $1.5 million in trade payables.
The House Ways and Means Committee has provided several provisions into its healthcare legislation that could significantly smooth the path for telehealth practice. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) said the panel approved several proposals that would eliminate some of the key hurdles the technology faces.
Three community hospitals have formed the not-for-profit Vermont Hospital Shared Service Network. The presidents and boards of trustees of Copley Hospital in Morrisville, Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, and Porter Medical Center in Middlebury created VEHSSN to enhance collaboration and the development of shared services among the three not-for-profit, rural Community Access Hospitals.
Johns Hopkins University will debut a new master's degree in health informatics in fall 2009. The one-year program at the medical school will train students on how to develop information systems used in hospitals, clinics, and public health settings.
During the past three years, nearly three fourths of individuals who tried to buy coverage in the individual insurance market never purchased a plan—because they could not find a plan that meets their needs, could not afford coverage, or were turned down because of a pre-existing condition, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund.
This parallels developments between 2001 and 2007 when increasing shares of adults with private insurance—either obtained through employer based coverage or an individual market plan—spent a larger portion of their incomes on premiums and out of pocket medical costs, were underinsured, and/or avoided needed healthcare because of costs. Those with coverage obtained from the individual market were the most affected, the report said.
Using data from the Commonwealth Fund's 2007 Biennial Health Insurance Survey, the researchers compared the experiences of adults ages 19 to 64 who purchased coverage in the individual insurance market with adults covered by employer based plans. It found that nearly half (47%) of adults who tried to purchase insurance in the individual market in the last three years found it very difficult or impossible to find a plan that fit their needs; 57% found it very difficult or impossible to find a plan they could afford; and 36% said they were turned down or charged a higher price because of a pre-existing condition.
Nearly three quarters (73%) of respondents said they never bought a plan, with 61% of those who did not buy a plan in the individual market citing expensive premiums as the main reason. Adults who did purchase coverage in the individual market "paid more out of pocket for their premiums, faced much higher deductibles, and spent larger shares of their income on health insurance and healthcare expenses than their counterparts with employer based group coverage," the researchers said.
Privately insured adults with low incomes were found to be most at risk of spending larger shares of their incomes on healthcare: In 2007, about 75% of privately insured adults with household incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level (about $44,000 for a family of four) spent 5% of their household income on premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Also, 60% of privately insurance individuals in lower-income households spent 10% of more of their income, compared with 25% of those in higher-income brackets.
These findings indicate that the "individual insurance market in its current form does not provide a viable alternative to employer based group coverage," the researchers said. They suggested that "new, affordable health insurance options" were needed for those who were uninsured, underinsured, or about to lose their employer-based insurance.
As his first act as the new chairman of the National Governors Association, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas (R) announced his inaugural initiative Monday: to focus on the need for healthcare reform to reduce costs, promote quality care, and provide coverage for those without insurance.
The announcement topped off a weekend in Biloxi, MS, at the annual governors meeting, where the issue of healthcare reform was a hot-button topic.
At least 48 states are addressing or still facing shortfalls in their budgets for the upcoming year, according to a new study from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. With bleak economic news ahead, the governors have been worried about how healthcare reforms on Capitol Hill could further tax their reduced state assets with unfunded mandates.
Those in attendance did get some reassuring news from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (who was the Kansas governor until she resigned in April to take the top job at HHS). She spoke to NGA members about the Tri-Committee health reform bill in the House (H.R. 3200). The House bill, as currently written, specifies that non elderly individuals earning at or below 133% of poverty—about $14,400 for an individual, and $29,300 for a family of four—would be eligible for coverage.
However, the federal government under the House bill would pick up the entire cost for those newly covered under Medicaid—about $438 billion over 10 years. A draft proposal by the Senate Finance Committee is said to have the federal government paying additional costs for five years—after which the states would have to pick up their typical share of existing Medicaid costs.
The time is "right for governors to define their roles in creating a more coordinated and efficient system," Douglas said in a statement. He added that his initiative will "build on the successes and innovations of states"—including efforts in Vermont—"to create a blueprint for comprehensive health reform while implementing possible new federal initiatives."
Provide governors with the information to transition to a new healthcare system, while helping states "to build capacity and create a blueprint" for reform implementation.
Develop state based system improvements and cost-containment measures.
Assist states in implementing insurance market reforms, creating state exchanges, and implementing other national health reforms.
As the Senate Finance Committee has taken center stage in the battle over healthcare reform, Chairman Max Baucus has emerged as a leading recipient of Senate campaign contributions from the hospitals, insurers, and other medical interest groups hoping to shape the legislation to their advantage. Health-related companies and their employees gave Baucus's political committees nearly $1.5 million in 2007 and 2008, when he began holding hearings and making preparations for this year's reform debate.
Democratic Congressional leaders, bowing to unease among lawmakers and governors in their own party, have suggested scaling back a plan to tax top earners to pay for healthcare legislation and signaled a retreat from their ambitious timetable. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, suggested revising the tax-raising provisions, one of the most contentious parts of the House bill, which would impose a surtax on high-income households. Pelosi said she would prefer that fewer people had to pay the tax, which was approved by the Ways and Means Committee.
With divided Democrats and polls showing rising public anxiety about President Obama's handling of healthcare and the economy, Republicans have launched an aggressive effort to link the two, comparing the health-care bills moving through Congress to what they labeled as a failed economic stimulus bill. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele said in a speech that Obama is "conducting a dangerous experiment with our healthcare," and added "he's conducting a reckless experiment with our economy."
