Health News
- Kentucky Hospitals Say They're Losing Money On Obamacare, As Cost Of Treating New Medicaid Patients Exceeds Reimbursements
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky hospitals are struggling financially because of the billions of dollars in cuts caused by the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and many aren't sure they will survive,...
- New Survey Shows Physicians Feel Need To Limit Health-care Costs But Make That Secondary To The Interests Of Their Patients
A new survey about health-care costs reveals that 85 percent of U.S. physicians feel a responsibility to address costs but say other professionals have more of a responsibility to do that, because physicians' obligation toward patients' interests...
- Rural Health Care Is A Notch Below Care In Urban Areas, But Its Costs Are Lower And Its Emergency Rooms Are Faster, Study Finds
A national study has found a narrow gap between the quality of health care in rural and urban settings, but it does recognize the "significant differences" differences between urban and rural care. The report is an update to "Rural Relevance Under Healthcare...
- Cost Of An Mri In America? $1,080. France? $280. Why? Providers 'largely Charge What They Can Get Away With'
Why does getting an MRI in the United States cost $1,080 when it only costs $280 in France? The answer comes down to how the prices are set, reports Ezra Klein for The Washington Post. "That may sound obvious," he writes. "But it is, in fact, key to...
- Acos: Health Care?s Big Project
Medicare beneficiaries who are patients of 32 groups of health care providers have started to receive letters informing them that they are now patients of an Accountable Care Organization, or ACO. ACOs are the focus of a new Medicare demonstration project...
Health News
Survey finds that 93 percent of hospital executives think Obamacare will improve systems and save costs
While there has been much grumbling about federal health reform, at least one very affected group of people think it's a great idea. A survey by Health Affairs found that 93 percent of hospital executives believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will make health care better, and cheaper, Ezra Klein reports for The Washington Post.
The magazine surveyed 74 senior executives at hospitals that had an average of 8,520 employees, and annual revenues of $1.5 billion, Klein reports. The survey found that 65 percent felt that by 2020 "the healthcare system as a whole will be somewhat or significantly better than it is today," and "93 percent predicted that the quality of care provided by their own health system would improve. This is probably related to efforts to diminish hospital acquired conditions, medication errors, and unnecessary re-admissions, as encouraged by financial penalties in the ACA." (Health Affairs graphic)
Executives also responded to favorably to other questions about reform, with 91 percent forecasting "improvements on metrics of cost within their own health system" and "85 percent expected their organization to have reduced its per patient operating costs" by 2020, Klein writes. "Overall, the average operating cost reduction expected was 11.7 percent, with a range from 0 percent to 30 percent. Most executives believed they could save an even higher percentage if Congress enacted legislation to accelerate the shift away from fee-for-service payment toward models like bundled payments. In such a case, the executives projected average annual savings of 16.0 percent, which, if applied across the healthcare system, would amount to savings of nearly $100 billion per year."
Respondents said savings can be achieved "through a combination of greater administrative efficiency, price reductions, and reduced reliance on hospital services," Klein reports. About 54 percent said this can be done by reducing the number of hospitalizations, 49 percent by reducing, re-admissions, 39 percent by reducing emergency room visits, 36 percent by reducing costs for medical devices, 27 percent by reducing costs for drugs, and 23 percent by improving office efficiency.
About 31 percent of respondents said another goal is to set "a specified timeline for transitioning Medicare reimbursement off of the fee-for-service payment system as a policy change that would facilitate cost control," Klein writes. "Another 30 percent supported aligning payment policies between Medicare and private insurers, and 28 percent supported separating funds for training and research from Medicare payment and maintaining current funding levels." (Read more)
Executives also responded to favorably to other questions about reform, with 91 percent forecasting "improvements on metrics of cost within their own health system" and "85 percent expected their organization to have reduced its per patient operating costs" by 2020, Klein writes. "Overall, the average operating cost reduction expected was 11.7 percent, with a range from 0 percent to 30 percent. Most executives believed they could save an even higher percentage if Congress enacted legislation to accelerate the shift away from fee-for-service payment toward models like bundled payments. In such a case, the executives projected average annual savings of 16.0 percent, which, if applied across the healthcare system, would amount to savings of nearly $100 billion per year."
Respondents said savings can be achieved "through a combination of greater administrative efficiency, price reductions, and reduced reliance on hospital services," Klein reports. About 54 percent said this can be done by reducing the number of hospitalizations, 49 percent by reducing, re-admissions, 39 percent by reducing emergency room visits, 36 percent by reducing costs for medical devices, 27 percent by reducing costs for drugs, and 23 percent by improving office efficiency.
About 31 percent of respondents said another goal is to set "a specified timeline for transitioning Medicare reimbursement off of the fee-for-service payment system as a policy change that would facilitate cost control," Klein writes. "Another 30 percent supported aligning payment policies between Medicare and private insurers, and 28 percent supported separating funds for training and research from Medicare payment and maintaining current funding levels." (Read more)
- Kentucky Hospitals Say They're Losing Money On Obamacare, As Cost Of Treating New Medicaid Patients Exceeds Reimbursements
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky hospitals are struggling financially because of the billions of dollars in cuts caused by the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and many aren't sure they will survive,...
- New Survey Shows Physicians Feel Need To Limit Health-care Costs But Make That Secondary To The Interests Of Their Patients
A new survey about health-care costs reveals that 85 percent of U.S. physicians feel a responsibility to address costs but say other professionals have more of a responsibility to do that, because physicians' obligation toward patients' interests...
- Rural Health Care Is A Notch Below Care In Urban Areas, But Its Costs Are Lower And Its Emergency Rooms Are Faster, Study Finds
A national study has found a narrow gap between the quality of health care in rural and urban settings, but it does recognize the "significant differences" differences between urban and rural care. The report is an update to "Rural Relevance Under Healthcare...
- Cost Of An Mri In America? $1,080. France? $280. Why? Providers 'largely Charge What They Can Get Away With'
Why does getting an MRI in the United States cost $1,080 when it only costs $280 in France? The answer comes down to how the prices are set, reports Ezra Klein for The Washington Post. "That may sound obvious," he writes. "But it is, in fact, key to...
- Acos: Health Care?s Big Project
Medicare beneficiaries who are patients of 32 groups of health care providers have started to receive letters informing them that they are now patients of an Accountable Care Organization, or ACO. ACOs are the focus of a new Medicare demonstration project...