Topic

Healthcare Costs


Cancer: Initial prostate cancer treatment decisions affect long-term costs

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, September 01 2010
The cost patterns of prostate cancer treatment can vary widely based on initial treatment choice, and treatments that may be less expensive in the short-term may have higher long-term costs, according to a study published online Aug. 23 in Cancer.
 

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Web Exclusives | Monday, August 23 2010
Written by Gina Narcisi
Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.
 

AHRQ: Diabetes accounts for one-fifth of U.S hospitalizations, costs $83B

Top Stories | Monday, August 16 2010
In 2008, nearly one in five hospitalizations were diabetes-related, totaling more than 7.7 million stays and $83 billion in hospitalization costs--or 23 percent of total hospital costs in the U.S., according to a statistical brief released this month from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.
 

JHM: Declining profits, staff reductions could hurt quality of care

Clinical Studies | Monday, June 14 2010
Declining profits and decreasing staffing may hinder hospital quality and safety, according to an analysis in the June issue of Journal of Hospital Medicine.
 

ASE: More training needed to avoid echo discrepancies, high costs

Top Stories | Monday, June 14 2010
Discrepancies during the interpretation of echocardiograms are prevalent and can have a negative impact on healthcare costs and may stem from differences in physician training, according to study results presented at the 21st annual American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) scientific sessions June 14 in San Diego.
 

AJR: Reporting of extracardiac findings on CCTA not clear cut

Clinical Studies | Friday, June 04 2010
Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) often reveals incidental extracardiac abnormalities, including many pulmonary nodules. But more studies need to be conducted to determine the cost effectiveness of downstream tests for these incidental findings, according to a study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
 

Colorado RHIO chooses Medicity for statewide HIE

Industry News | Sunday, May 23 2010
The Colorado Regional Health Information Organization will use a technology platform developed by Medicity to build out a statewide health information exchange (HIE).
 

NEJM: PPACA can help contain growth in healthcare costs

Top Stories | Thursday, May 13 2010
While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will may not solve the country’s healthcare cost problems, it is “a historic and cost-effective step in the right direction,” according to an editorial published online May 12 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
 

Reform to increase healthcare spending about $311B

Top Stories | Friday, April 23 2010
President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform plan is estimated to increase the overall national health expenditures under the healthcare reform act by a total of $311 billion over the next decade, according to a report last week from Richard Foster, chief actuary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
 

Radiology: Daily chest radiography in the ICU offers no added benefit

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, April 21 2010
Systematic but unselective daily routine chest radiography can likely be eliminated without increasing adverse outcomes in adult patients in intensive care units (ICUs), found a meta-analysis published in the May issue of Radiology.
 

SNM nets AHRQ grant for comparative effectiveness

Industry News | Wednesday, April 14 2010
SNM (formerly the Society of Nuclear Medicine) has been awarded a $48,000 grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to hold a conference to develop research on the comparative effectiveness of PET and other molecular imaging techniques.
 

AHA: Rising costs account for most of growth in spending on hospital care

Industry News | Tuesday, March 16 2010
Rising costs to hospitals accounted for 64 percent of the overall growth in spending on hospital care between 2004 and 2008, according to a report issued this month by the American Hospital Association (AHA).
 

Mass. A.G. finds cost, quality incongruity in state healthcare system

Industry News | Tuesday, February 02 2010
A systematic review of the Massachusetts healthcare system found significant variations amongst hospitals and physicians that were not based on quality of care, according to a preliminary investigation conducted by the office of Attorney General Martha Coakley.
 

Demographics, health risks drive geographic healthcare spending variance

Industry News | Thursday, November 12 2009
As U.S. healthcare costs inflate, factors such as insurance status, demographics and increased patient health risk must be investigated when defining ways to realign healthcare spending, according to a report released by the American Hospital Association this week.
 

Report: Higher healthcare costs force docs to discuss economics with patients

Industry News | Friday, November 06 2009
As healthcare costs soar and insurance plans require patients to pay more out-of-pocket expenses, physicians are put in the tricky situation of balancing healthcare at an economical price, according to research published in the November issue of the Journal of Family Practice.
 

U of Missouri, Cerner create health IT institute

Industry News | Tuesday, September 29 2009
The University of Missouri and health IT developer Cerner are planning to create the Tiger Institute for Health Innovation.
 

Obama lays out his vision of healthcare reform

Top Stories | Thursday, September 10 2009
Last night, President Barack Obama made his healthcare reform speech to Congress, adamantly expressing his determination to be the final U.S. president to take up this cause.
 

Health Services Research: Rising healthcare costs hurt U.S. economy

Industry News | Monday, July 27 2009
The RAND Corporation has linked the rapid growth in U.S. healthcare costs with job losses and lower output among industries that commonly provide workers with health insurance, according to a study published online July 13 in Health Services Research.
 

NEJM: Medical liability reform hits congressional radar

Industry News | Monday, June 15 2009
While the U.S. healthcare reform debate battles on, one issue emerging at the forefront is whether a reform package should include medical liability system reform--an oft-cited whipping boy for rising healthcare costs, according to a perspective published online June 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
 

Congress members tout imaging benefits to Obama

Top Stories | Monday, June 15 2009
Fifty-seven members of Congress have written a bipartisan letter to President Barack Obama, heralding the benefits of medical imaging and urging him to "consider the value of these life-saving technologies."
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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