Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles
Burdock Root

Physicians Can Lead Health Care Reform Through Payment And Delivery System Reforms
Physicians can and should play a leading role in achieving health care reform by working towards comprehensive reform of the way health care is paid for and delivered, helping achieve a guaranteed 1.5 percent annual savings in health care costs that would pay for covering all Americans, according to a New England Journal of Medicine Perspective piece published online.
generic viagra online
Novel Compounds May Help Protect Against Respiratory Depression
A paper that appears in the June 2009 issue of Anesthesiology details how AMPAKINE CX717, a Phase II compound created by Irvine, California-based neuroscience company Cortex Pharmaceuticals, demonstrated the rescue of fentanyl-induced respiratory depression and sleep apnea in rats. In this same study, CX717 demonstrated equal efficacy with the opioid antagonist Naloxone, a drug used to counter the effects of opioids on suppression of breathing. CX717 did not, however, interfere with the action of pain-killing opiates. This offers a distinct advantage compared with Naloxone and could provide a novel therapeutic means of treating those patients who are particularly prone to breathing depression with opiates while achieving maximum pain relief.
News of the day
Congress Should Not Restrict Use Of Local Funds For Abortion Funding In D.C., Washington Post Editorial States
During debate on the fiscal year 2010 appropriations bill for Washington, D.C., some House members on Tuesday "are expected to use the opportunity to introduce provisions that limit how the district may use locally derived funds," including funding for abortion services, a Washington Post editorial states. "These efforts are wrong, infringe on the district"s right to self-rule and should be voted down," the editorial adds.According to the editorial, "For years, the district has labored under a provision that prevents it from using local tax dollars to fund or subsidize abortion services." The editorial notes that the "Hyde Amendment already forbids state and local jurisdictions from using federal money for abortion services, but it does not restrict these entities from using local tax dollars."A House subcommittee last month approved $768 million in federal funds for D.C., but Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) -- chair of the subcommittee -- "stripped the abortion provision from the appropriations bill," according to the editorial. It continues that this version of the bill is "now before the full House Appropriations Committee," and "[s]ome abortion foes in the House plan to reintroduce the abortion-funding restriction."The editorial states, "Federal lawmakers have the right to seek limits on how federal money is used, but not to impose those same limits on states." It concludes that D.C. "should be treated with the same respect afforded every other sovereign jurisdiction in the country" (Washington Post, 7/7).
Cardiovascular

Klobuchar, Kohl, Franken Call For Value-Index Approach To Combat Medicare Costs

Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Al Franken (D-MN) introduced legislation to reform the Medicare payment system to reward hospitals for quality, efficient care. The Medicare Payment Fairness Act of 2009 would reform Medicare by paying hospitals for the quality, not quantity, of care. These changes would reduce the regional differences in Medicare spending by shifting the nation to a coordinated, integrated delivery system - like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other states. Studies have shown that more integrated care could save taxpayers an additional $100 billion a year. "We need to reform Medicare to pay hospitals for the quality of care they provide and transform the current health care system into one that concentrates on delivering the best care for patients," said Klobuchar. "This bill complements the Medicare Payment Improvement Act that I introduced last month, and is another step towards rewarding quality care and improving our Medicare system." "As it stands, the Medicare reimbursement system provides perverse incentives," said Kohl. "Currently, geographic areas that provide the most inefficient care oftentimes get the highest reimbursements. We need to ensure that all health care systems provide better care in a more efficient way, and reward those systems that already do so. Otherwise, we"ll never get costs under control." "As Congress considers national health care reform, they have a lot to learn from how we do things in Minnesota," said Franken. "We understand that health care quality ought to be rewarded, and that patient-centered health care is better for Minnesotans than a profit-centered system. Implementing a Value Index is not just a critical step in reforming our national health care costs, it"s also a step towards ensuring that Minnesota doctors aren"t penalized for being ahead of the curve." Specifically, the Medicare Payment Fairness Act will increase efficiency by creating a value index within the formula used to determine Medicare hospital reimbursements. Linking rewards to the outcomes for the entire payment area creates the incentive for physicians and hospitals to work together to improve quality and use res efficiently. Currently, Medicare does not take into account the value of care provided by hospitals when determining their payments for providers. Despite periodic efforts at reform, Medicare pays for volume, not value. More tests and more surgeries mean more money - even if the extra tests and operations do nothing to improve a patient"s condition. Last month, Klobuchar introduced similar legislation with Senators Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to reward value over volume for Medicare physician payments. Also last month, a bipartisan group of Senators, including Senator Kohl, sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee calling for performance benchmarks to be included in the health care reform legislation. The letter said that high efficiency states can help lower costs to Medicare and improve patient treatment, while saving taxpayers billions of dollars each year. Special Committee on Aging Senator Herb Kohl, Chair http://www.aging.senate.gov


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009