Mcol Blog - Welcome

Welcome to the MCOL Blog

Please join the discussion with our panel of experts, as we cover a wide range of important topics shaping the business and future of health care.

I have to admit that I am a child of the television age, with movies as a close second. I never really got into video games, like PacMan, Tetris, Mario Brothers, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto or even Madden NFL, and am only now belatedly becoming addicted to Angry Birds. As I suspect is true of many of us old health care pros, I am also late to the potential revolution that video games offer for health care.............Click to continue

It Depends on the Outcome: Payments for Providers – Benefits for Consumers

By Clive Riddle, May 10, 2013

Two separate studies released this week took the pulse of the outcomes-based financial landscape in healthcare at different ends of the spectrum.............Click to continue

CMS Releases hospital specific charges for more than 3,000 hospitals

By Claire Thayer, May 8, 2013

Today, CMS announced the release of hospital-specific charges for the more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals that receive Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) payments for the top 100 most frequently billed discharges, paid under Medicare based on a rate per discharge using the Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. These DRGs represent almost 7 million discharges or 60 percent of total Medicare IPPS discharges.............Click to continue

Anchors Aweigh!

By Clive Riddle, May 2, 2013

In MCOL’s current issue of ThoughtLeaders, the question was asked “Which provision of the Affordable Care Act do you feel has had the greatest degree of success thus far with regard to implementation and achieving its objectives?”

The sage, and always insightful Peter Kongstvedt, MD, provided a response with an intro that demands repeating in part here, because it is that good.............Click to continue

Comprehensive Assessment of ACA Factors That Will Affect Individual Market Premiums in 2014

By Claire Thayer, May 1, 2013

A new Milliman report, prepared for and at the request of AHIP, outlines how the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) coverage expansion, new benefits, and market reforms will impact individual market health insurance premiums in 2014. The 27 page report highlights how some provisions will increase premiums while others will make health care coverage more affordable for consumers. The report estimates that those eligible for subsidies will receive financial assistance in 2014 to cover, on average, 40 percent of the premium for the silver plan, and as much as 94 percent for those with the lowest incomes. Read more on AHIP's Center for Policy and Research web site: http://www.ahip.org/MillimanReportACA2013/

Boston: Coincidences, Complexity, Continuity, Care

By Cyndy Nayer, April 25, 2013

America's Freedoms Are Our Vulnerabilities

There is no doubt that the terrorism of the Boston Marathon 2013 was heart-stopping, heart-rending, and a cruel reminder that America's freedoms are also our vulnerabilities. It's also a bit ironic that, because of a family emergency, both of my daughters had flown down to our house and were with us when the bombs went off.............Click to continue

ACOs now serve 14% of Americans

By Claire Thayer, April 22, 2013

ACOs now serve 14% of Americans according to new research by Oliver Wyman, an increase of 40 percent since August 2012. This research study finds that the total number of patients in organizations with ACO arrangements with at least one payer—both Medicare and non-Medicare—is now between 37 and 43 million, up from 25 to 31 million—or roughly 14 percent of the population.............Click to continue

Sebelius Says

By Kim Bellard, April 16, 2013

If I was HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, I think I’d be asking for a pay raise, or maybe a (verbal) flak jacket. Of course, there’s probably no money for them.

Sebelius is front and center for any developments with ACA, and she has been a very visible spokesperson for the controversial legislation. I don’t know whether she actually believes all the things she says.............Click to continue

53% percentage of young adults using social media for healthcare reviews

By Claire Thayer, April 15, 2013

PWC's Health Research Institute released a new report on consumers’ experience in seeking health related information as well as effectiveness of healthcare ratings and reviews. When consumers in the study were asked on their sources of healthcare review.............Click to continue

Health Sector Economic Indicators – Altarum Institute

By Clive Riddle, April 12, 2013

Altarum Institute each month issues Health Sector Economic Indicators Briefs through its Center for Sustainable Health Spending. The brief cover health care spending, utilization, prices, and employment, and are worth perusing each time.............Click to continue

Getting Healthy

By Cyndy Nayer, April 1, 2013

In January 2013, US News published a report on why Americans aren’t healthier and gave us the concept of a health lag. In fact, the gap between America’s health status and that of other industrialized nations is a 30-year trajectory of lower outcomes.............Click to continue

If Kaiser Is Not the Answer, What Is the Question?

by Kim Bellard, March 28, 2013

The New York Times recently published an interesting article, “The Face of Future Health Care,” that raised questions about whether even a model like Kaiser is delivering what we need to reform our health care system. It’s the old “be careful what you wish for…” dilemma.............Click to continue

The Alzheimer's Elephant

by Clive Riddle, March 22, 2013

There are so many large, aging elephants in the national room: Social Security, Medicare and Alzheimer's to name three leading the herd. They keep growing larger - we can see it happening in real time - and we've seen it coming for quite some time.............Click to continue

Medicaid Is Different…Isn’t It?

By Kim Bellard, March 14, 2013

Let’s be honest: since its inception, Medicaid has been the unwanted stepchild of the health care system. It serves a diverse set of populations that other public and private programs have historically ignored, its health outcomes are no better and possibly worse than not having insurance at all.............Click to continue

High Deductible PPO Plans Versus CDHPs

By Clive Riddle, March 8, 2013

United Benefit Advisors has just released results of their annual health plan survey, with responses from 11,711 employers sponsoring 17,905 health plans nationwide, with results applicable for small to midsize companies. The survey includes a focus on Consumer Driven Health Plan (CDHP) vs. PPO comparisons of premiums, deductibles and enrollment.............Click to continue

Involved But Not Committed

By Kim Bellard, February 28, 2013

There’s an old joke about the difference between bacon and eggs: the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. Perhaps the problem in health care is that when it comes to being engaged in our own health, most of us are chicken. Maybe the wrong people have been cooking.

Patient engagement -- along with its many synonyms, such as shared decision-making or consumer-directed care – continues to be a favorite strategy for many health pundits.............Click to continue

AHIP Announces Launch of new Health System Change Initiative

By Claire Thayer, February 25, 2013

The AHIP Foundation has announced the launch of a new Health System Change Initiative - the Institute for Health Systems Solutions (IHSS). The priorities of the new Institute will focus on:

Access: Using innovation to improve health care delivery and payment reform
Innovation: New ideas to improve access
Smart Regulation: Regulation that creates the fewest unintended consequences

More information, including links to Insights & Resources and News & Activities may be found here: http://www.healthsystemssolutions.org/