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The Medical Home Hits the RUC
Today’s post (#2 in a series) tackles several questions:
What is the American Medical Association/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC)?
What is the RUC’s role in the Medicare Medical Home Demonstration project?
How are people reacting to RUC recommendations for PCMH reimbursement levels?
What is the American Medical Association/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC)?
The AMA formed the RUC to act as an expert panel in making recommendations to CMS on the relative values of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes using the Resource Based Relative Value […]
The Medical Home: Confusion Over Care Management Fees
The honeymoon is over.
Prior to April 29, 2008, reviews of the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model had been uniformly enthusiastic and positive.
Today the PCMH model is hitting reality — someone’s going to have to bring home money to pay the bills. On April 29 the American Medical Association/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC) released a  report making recommendations relating to payment levels of care management fees for the PCMH.
This report has stirred cries of confusion and outrage. I’ll elaborate on these cries in the second posting of […]
Healthways Fights an Uphill Battle on Medicare Health Support Phase II
Earlier this week Healthways issued a press release describing their progress in pursuing a Phase II Medicare Health Support (MHS) project.  Read Dr. Jaan Sidorov’s blog commentary for additional background.
In brief, Healthways position is that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is statutorily required to expand into Phase II of MHS if Phase I is “successful”. While I’m very sympathetic with Healthways predicament and their frustration with CMS, I’m not optimistic that their tactics are likely to work.
In making the case, Healthways […]
Perspectives on the Upcoming 5th Annual Healthcare Unbound Conference
 The Healthcare Unbound Conference is a highlight of my year and I always look forward to it!
What’s so special about this conference?
First, the caliber of the people attending.  It’s a stimulating mix of high-level clinical, technical and business types. The energy is flowing and many people have told me how much they like to go just for the networking.
Second, the caliber of the conference organizer. I’ve worked with many conference planners, and Satish Kavirajan is not your ordinary conference organizer.
Satish […]
Health Wonk Review at the Medical Humanities Blog
Daniel Goldberg of the Medical Humanities Blog has posted the latest edition of the Health Wonk Review. Daniel puts a unique slant on his writing:
As I see it, the key role for a medical humanist – if they wish to be consistent with an ethos of medieval and Renaissance humanists – is to focus on the translation of theory into practice.Â
…and he throws in some humor to boot. Great reading!
Book Review: Good Health is Good Business
My colleague Dr. Dave Rearick asked me to review his recent book, Good Health is Good Business. I’m pleased to recommend it enthusiastically.
While the book is targeted at small to medium size employers, the lessons go far beyond this audience.
By the end of the 3rd chapter, Dr. Rearick had convinced me of two conclusions that I’d describe as indisputable, but uncomfortable:
The only way employers are going to control their health care costs is to influence the health of their workforce.
You (the employer) need […]
Next Generation Disease Management, ala Google
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Google Wants to Index Your DNA, Too Business Week; April 18, 2008
A few years ago I remember reading a vivid description of how much information is contained in one person’s genetic code: a stack of phone books high enough to reach the top of the Washington Monument.
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Is the Medical Establishment the Best Guardian of Your Medical Data?
David C. Kibbe, MD, MBA and Vince Kuraitis
Drs. Mandl and Kohane begin their recent article in NEJM with the statement that “large corporations are seeking an integral and transformative role in the management of health care information,” and then warn that this “will profoundly affect the biomedical research enterprise.”  Â
At issue for the authors is who controls the information about you and me, our health and healthcare data. Without coming right out and saying it directly, they worry that data in […]
NEJM and NYT Discuss “Tectonic Shifts” of a Personal Health Information Economy
Vince Kuraitis and David C. Kibbe, MD MBA
Tomorrow’s edition of the New England Journal of Medicine contains an article entitled “Tectonic Shifts in the Health Information Economy”. While we have not yet fully digested this article, it’s clear that the authors’ description of the “Health Information Economy” closely parallels our initial description of the Personal Health Information Network (PHIN).
The main thrust of the NEJM article is to discuss implications (good and bad) relating to clinical research. The NEJM article is also highlighted in a New York Times piece […]
Could a Linkage Between Amalga and HealthVault Become a Centerpiece of Microsoft’s Healthcare Strategy?
Writing in ZDNet, Mary Jo Foley ponders the question of whether it might make sense for Microsoft to link HealthVault (HV) and Amalga.
I’ll take this a step further and ask “Could a linkage between HealthVault and Amalga become a centerpiece of Microsoft’s broader health care strategy?”