Hope everyone had a happy and healthy (relatively-speaking) Thanksgiving!

11.25.2005

Electronic Health Records The Wired for Health Care Quality Act was passed in the Senate last Friday, envisioning a day of keychain medical records. Of course, anytime we talk about access, we also talk about privacy (and different levels of it for different audiences). Makes me wonder: let's watch how the banking industry handles this catch 22, and maybe we in healthcare will be there in 10 years. Check out ING Bank's log-in page - I don't know how well it works, but it sure makes me feel more secure. Then again, maybe it'll come down to implanted microchips.

Consumer-Driven Healthcare is not coming - it is here and it has been here. 31.6MM Americans use the internet for their healthcare decisions. Also, BCBSA is teaming up with Visa to offer a debit card - a plan very similar (but short of) UnitedHealth's new bank venture, Exante. LifePoint Hospitals is also starting to offer its own credit card - patients get a discount and LifePoint gets 93 cents on the dollar guaranteed from their banking partner (still a mystery who this is).

Good News, Bad News I guess it all depends on perspective, but several stories came out this week in which it was hard to decide whether to cheer or to cry. For one, healthcare costs continue to outpace inflation, but its growth slowed from last year. Still not sustainable, but getting there? The jury is still out. Similarly, the AIDS virus continues to expand its reach (now to 40 million people), but infection rates are starting to decline in some countries. Good news or bad news? Also, this past week, NY State set up a commission to rate hospitals in order to identify (and inevitably close down) the least viable ones. Maybe a fast death is better than a slow one, so everyone can move on? News stories (and especially statistics) can be spun to be mean just about anything.

Speaking of statistics and numbers, 4.4% is the number of the week. Not surprising, the docs are up in arms as CMS is ready to cut Medicare fees by that amount. Doesn't sound like much? It was enough to bring out these fightin' words by two prominent MDs:

Physicians cannot absorb the pending draconian cuts. A recent A.M.A. survey indicates that if the cuts begin on Jan. 1, more than one-third of physicians would decrease the number of new Medicare patients they accept. - Dr. Duane Cady, AMA Chairman

vs.

Medicare needs to encourage and reward efficiency and high-quality care, not simply pay for more services - Dr. Mark McClellan CMS Chief

What do you think?