Advocates for Evidence-Based Health Policy Speakers
Gaming the System
Process measures for quality are subject to unintended consequences such as system gaming. As we have seen in diabetes care, this quality measure for bronchitis appears to have been manipulated by clinicians as well. Conventional wisdom backed by extensive data Continue Reading …
Hospital Consolidation leads to Higher Prices
Hospital consolidation occurs in some regions to form strong alliances with which to negotiate better payments from insurers. The ideal of consolidation leading to streamlined care and improved quality remains elusive. The latest Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Synthesis Project discusses Continue Reading …
The Next Steps to Universal Health Care
Barring any massive upheaval to the political forces currently in Washington, DC, the Affordable Care Act is set to become part of the nation’s social fabric. But the real goal, universal health care, is still far off. One hundred years Continue Reading …
Medicaid at the Polls
Five states – Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina – plan on skipping the Medicaid expansions available from the Affordable Care Act. If these states fail to act, nearly 4 million Americans will be denied coverage. The decision of Continue Reading …
Clinical Decision Support is Cost-Effective
Clinical decision support systems incorporated within electronic medical records have the potential to save health costs. When not cost-saving, CDS systems demonstrate cost-effective ways to achieve improved clinical outcomes. Only twenty percent of patients with diabetes in 2008 reached goals Continue Reading …