The Becker Hospital Review article noted: “Looking to appeal to consumers with lower premium prices, some health insurers selling policies through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges have turned to narrow provider networks.”
“Here are six key things to know about narrow provider networks. (more…)
The New York Times article noted “In a 2013 paper, Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a professor of medicine and public health at Yale School of Medicine, described a syndrome that emerges in the days and weeks after a hospital stay: ‘Physiologic systems are impaired, reserves are depleted, and the body cannot effectively avoid or mitigate health threats.’ He called this period of vulnerability ‘post-hospital syndrome.'”
“The syndrome was identified as a result of new Medicare rules that hold hospitals responsible for re-admissions within 30 days after discharge. When health systems began studying patients who returned to the hospital soon after discharge, two critical facts emerged. First, the problem is common and widespread, occurring after nearly one in five hospitalizations of patients on Medicare. Second, and even more surprising, the majority of cases represent an illness distinct from the initial hospitalization.” (more…)
The Huffington Post article noted : “Let’s be honest: No one goes to the hospital to relax. Getting there, whether for a medical emergency or a scheduled appointment, is overwhelming — especially when you’re worried about a loved one. And once you arrive, the situation only seems to feel more tense.”
“If you happen to end up in the hospital (either with a loved one or for yourself), these tips will help you feel calm and in control. Below are seven things you should know before making a hospital visit. (more…)
The Kaiser Health News article noted “As soon as Deb Emerson, a former high school teacher from Oroville, Calif., bought a health plan in January through the state’s insurance exchange, she felt overwhelmed.”
“She couldn’t figure out what was covered and what wasn’t. Why weren’t her anti-depressant medications included? Why did she have to pay $60 to see a doctor? The insurance jargon – deductible, co-pay, premium, co-insurance – was like a foreign language. What did it mean?”
The Forbes article noted “If you didn’t know it, the key intent of Affordable Care Act is to shift medical care from fee-for-service to fee-for-quality.”
“For too long, hospitals have gorged on referrals into their systems and walk-ins to their emergency rooms. But besides electronic medical records—a low hanging fruit–hospitals are hailed widely as being inefficient and sloppy. But the game changes when hospitals start getting paid for how many people they heal, not how many people they process. Think: outcomes not transactions.”
The Kaiser Health News article noted “Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen… called on 20 hospital systems to stop partnering with companies that offer low-cost screenings for heart disease and stroke risk, saying the promotions are ‘unethical’ and the exams are more likely to do harm than good.”
“In recent years, more hospitals have paired with firms offering such testing packages, partly to build community goodwill and referrals. Hospitals say residents benefit from the testing packages, which can cost less than $150, because some will discover they are at higher risk for heart problems or stroke early enough to take steps to reduce their risks.”