September 2008

Docs Rate Plans

The AMA recently issued its first health insurance report card grading how quickly and accurately doctors get paid. Docs hope the report card will reduce the cost of claims processing and help in contract negotiations with the health plans. 

According to the AMA, the report card compares Medicare and seven national commercial health insurers on the timeliness and accuracy of claims processing. UnitedHealthcare had the lowest rate  – only 62 percent of medical services billed were paid by them at the agreed rate. Aetna came in higher at 71 percent, and the Medicare at an impressive 98 percent.

What you can do:  If you are a healthcare IT physician practice management or EMR vendor who facilitates electronic coding and billing, use the AMA report to highlight how you can improve payment rates for you customers.  It's likely your solution improves reimbursement rates and speed, translating into a more efficient and profitable practice. 

Posted by Shawn Whalen on September 30, 2008 at 2:15 PM
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Costs and Opportunities

Health care costs are expected to rise more than 10 percent into next year, says an Aon Consulting survey of 70 national health insurers. This is actually good, considering it’s the smallest increase Aon has seen in six years.

Employers take measures to combat such increases through new designs, adoption of CDHP and HSA plans. Costs are still rising to keep up with growing patient demand for services, the needs of an aging population and prescription drug and technology costs, according to Aon.

What you can do: If you are a healthcare technology vendor whose solutions help lower costs for employers, leverage surveys such as this to highlight the savings you can provide customers. Highlight employer group success stories in the HR and benefits trades. Consider a round table of customers and experts to put your solution in a trend story context.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on September 28, 2008 at 7:11 PM
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EHRachusetts

Here in Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation mandating hospitals and community health centers to implement interoperable electronic health records systems by Oct. 1, 2015, as a condition of their state license. The state will develop regulations to define EHRs.  

The systems must be certified by Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT.) Further, the law mandates collection and reporting of quality and cost data by providers and insurers, for dissemination to consumers via a state Web portal.

For HCIT practitioners of EHR vendors, this gives you an interesting message point to weave into pitching any Massachusetts hospital or health center customers.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on September 23, 2008 at 5:11 PM
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PHR Thoughts

While it may take a decade for widespread adoption of PHRs, it will definitely happen. It is another medium for communicating your medical condition to a doctor, which today is done verbally. Data supplied into the PHR by health plans, or the doctors via EMR interchange, will be more accurate as patients memory – selective or otherwise – isn’t often reliable.

What will help doctors is a high degree of interoperability between the PHR and the EMR, otherwise it’s still easier to take down a patient’s information verbally. When the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) starts certifying PHRs this will hopefully be addressed.

Other obstacles that will be overcome with time is general technology acceptance by doctors. The old guard's resistence will be replaced by younger doctors who are more comfortable and trusting of technology. Ubiquity of PHRs via Microsoft, Google, health plans and hospitals will move PHRs from “nice to have” to “must have."

This presents PHR vendor PR folks with opportunities to highlight how their solutions are making adoption easier, helping facilitate the vision of universal PHRs.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on September 16, 2008 at 11:03 AM
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Who Watches the Watchmen?

University of Missouri researchers conducted a national survey and found that the majority of health journalists have not had specialized training in health reporting and face challenges in communicating new medical science developments.

Health literacy, as defined by the American Medical Association, is ‘the ability to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions and follow instructions for treatment.’

According to the UM press release, of the journalists surveyed, only 18 percent had specialized training in health reporting and only 6.4 percent reported that a majority of their readers change health behaviors based on the information they provide. The journalists had an average of 18 years of journalism experience and seven years experience as health journalists.

Journalists reported quoting medical experts, avoiding technical terms, and providing data and statistics, as the three most important elements to making health information understandable.

According to the survey, a majority of journalists reported believing that their readers understand information from medical professionals, but are not proficient with scientific information and more prone to believe health myths. The results suggest that newspaper journalists view their roles as information providers, while magazine journalists perceive themselves more as advocates for behavioral change.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on September 9, 2008 at 6:54 AM
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PHR Factoids

A recent Markle Foundation survey found that regardless of their interest in using an online PHR service, 79 percent or more of the public believe using an online PHR would provide benefits to individuals in managing their health. Fifty six percent cited worries about privacy and confidentiality as a reason for their reluctance.

Only 2.7 percent of adults have an electronic PHR today (representing about 6.1 million persons). Most (57.3 percent) do not keep any form of personal health records, and 40 percent keep some paper health records.

What you can do: If you're a PHR vendor PR person, utilize the survey findings to support your solution. Use the statistics in press releases or collateral to help make your case. Highlight the privacy and security safeguards that your product takes, given that privacy is a major obstacle to PHR acceptance.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on September 2, 2008 at 6:39 PM
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