Is it time for the “next” health care, or a total reboot?

Mike Magee This week’s big news is no big surprise. “Medicare’s Trust Fund Is Set to Run Out in 8 Years. Social Security, 16”, said the New York Times. We told you so, screamed the Republicans, anxious to fulfill Paul Ryan’s dream of taming endowments. We told you so, blared the Democrats, claiming this was […]

The 62 Billion Dollar Question: Can Health Care Overcome Geography?

Mike Magee Sixty-two billion. That is what Medicare spent in 2012 on post-acute care. (1,2) “Post-Acute Care” is the term applied to various types of intermediate care provided to newly released patients from an acute care hospital. The care is provided by home health agencies in the home or by brick and mortar employees at […]

Thank You, Dr. Berwick!

Under the most difficult circumstances, Dr. Don Berwick has served his country well. Injecting a vision for the future while keeping his eyes focused on the needs of patients, he has helped steer Medicare and Medicaid in the right direction. We trust as well, that what he has learned – both good and bad – […]

Can Health Plans Explain Why They Aren’t Re-Empowering Primary Care?

The health care crisis can be traced in part to the marginalization of primary care

More On Physician Reimbursement, CMS, and the AMA’s RVS Update Committee (RUC)

An opinion on how the sole-source relationship between CMS and the AMA’s RUC threatens Medicare’s pilot on medical homes (Note: At Health Care Renewal, Dr. Roy Poses, a Clinical Associate Professor at Brown University’s School of Medicine, writes a consistently excellent blog on health care financial conflict . Both he and I have written extensively […]

Can Leavitt Explain Medicare Physician Data Schizophrenia at HHS?

Its time to demand accountability and an alignment of words and actions at HHSRegular readers will know that, last Sunday, I posted a column that pointed to HHS’ schizophrenic behavior when it comes to the release of Medicare physician data. First they fight the consumer advocacy group Checkbook.org’s lawsuit demanding the release of data in […]

What’s HHS’ Real Position on Releasing Medicare Physician Data?

A New HHS Program Gives “Cognitive Dissonance” New Meaning Here’s a really classical example of a federal regulatory agency holding fast to two opposing ideas at the same time. I wonder what it means? Last week HHS posted an interesting notice announcing a new program that recognizes 14 (presumably) forward-thinking health care coalitions of providers, […]

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