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Getting An Epic Opinion Off My Chest
We need to be far more explicit in asking a subtle but critical question
What are acceptable bases of competition in health care?
My sense is that the distinctions here are not well understood and often go undiscussed, so I’ll quickly get to the point:
It’s OK for care providers to compete on the bases of quality, price, patient satisfaction, and many other factors
It’s NOT OK for care providers to compete on the basis of controlling or limiting access […]
Leavitt ACO Report: Overstating or Understating Accountable Care Activity?
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have been likened to
a unicorn — a fantastic creature that is vested with mythical powers. But no one has actually seen one.
a camel — a horse designed by a committee, one that already has its nose in the tent
With this background, you can begin to appreciate the difficulty of conducting an accurate census of ACO animals in the wilderness. Yet, this is exactly the task undertaken in the excellent Leavitt Partners report measuring ACO activity in the US.
As I […]
The EHR|HIE Interoperability Workgroup — Potentially Earth-Shattering
Yesterday’s announcement of “Standard Health Data Connectivity Specifications” by the EHR|HIE Interoperability Workgroup (EHR|HIE WG) is potentially earth-shattering.
My mom would not know what I mean by “Standard Health Data Connectivity Specifications,” so I’ll try to write this in plain English.
Who Are These Guys? The EHR|HIE Interoperability Workgroup
The workgroup consists of HIEs (Health Information Exchanges) representing seven of the largest states, eight EHR vendors, and three HIE software/services vendors.
Employers Perceive that Health Plans Add Value to ACOs
A just released study from Aon Hewitt and Polakoff Boland — 2011 Employer Driven Accountable Care Organizations Survey Report — examines employer attitudes toward ACOs. The report provides useful insights into an area that hasn’t yet received much attention.
A couple tables in particular caught my attention.
(click on the graphic to view a larger version)
Key findings in this table include:
HealthCamp Oregon, Oct 22 — Hope to See You There!
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by Nate DiNiro
HealthCamp Oregon is organizing 2 events during the 3rd week of October in Portland, Oregon. The events will focus on Healthcare, Health IT, the ePatient & Participatory Medicine movement and all-things Healthcare Transformation!
The first event, a panel that will focus on the impact of social media in healthcare, is scheduled for Thursday 10/20. We’re also helping to promote the annual Kaiser Center for Health Research Saward Lecture, scheduled for Friday 10/21. More information on that event can be […]
Six Quick First Impressions of the CMS Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative (BPCII)
This afternoon CMS announced the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative (BPCII). For details, start reading here.
Here are six quick first impressions:
1. It’s very creative and innovative. CMS has demonstrated out-of-the-box thinking and leaves a lot of room for applicants to propose their own approaches. Expect to have to read the materials 2-3 times to wrap your thinking around it.
Unlike the Medicare Shared Savings ACO rule, the BPCII is flexible. Anticipate some innovative and non-traditional proposals from diverse applicants. Unlike […]
The Practice of Medicine: from Marcus Welby to ???
by Jaan Sidorov MD, MHSA, FACP and Vince Kuraitis JD, MBA
Physicians face great uncertainty. According to a survey conducted by The Physicians Foundation, the great majority of physicians (89%) believe the traditional model of independent private practice is either “on shaky ground” or “is a dinosaur soon to go extinct.”
In the face of this uncertainty, many physicians are jumping to a conclusion that “I have to sell my practice to the hospital.” In this post of our series on The […]
Heatwave Edition of Health Wonk Review
Check out the latest Health Wonk Review written by Julie Ferguson at the Workers’ Comp Insider blog. Cool down and review summaries of the best writings of the healthcare blogosphere. Thanks, Julie!
Physician-Hospital Relationships: The Hospital Morphs from Revenue Center to Cost Center
by Vince Kuraitis JD, MBA and Jaan Sidorov MD, MHSA, FACP
In our introductory posting of this series, we noted that economic incentives previously aligning doctor-hospital interests were changing. This creates the potential for The 100 Year Shift – physicians awakening to possibilities for stronger partnerships with payers than with hospitals.
In this post, we will zero in on the changing economic position of hospitals and the effect this is having on physician-hospital relationships. We will examine the […]
Will Health Plans Continue to Buy Up Hospitals?
I doubt it.
IMHO, the recent acquisition by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS) for $475 M is unique to local market conditions. It was done as a last resort and should not be taken as a signal that health plans are starting a hospital buying binge.
Why are hospitals unattractive investments for health plans: