Monthly Archive for August, 2010

The strange new world of interim final rules

By Megan Howell

As the implementation of federal health care reform continues full steam ahead, it is worth taking a quick pause to reflect upon how an “interim final rule” works, and to identify the major players in the implementation of such a large and sweeping piece of federal legislation. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), lead by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, has been tasked as the lead federal agency to issue rules as part of the massive implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA).  Together with the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of the Treasury, HHS has issued a series of interim final rules (IFRs).  Even though the IFRs are subject to public comments throughout a specified comment period, they still have full force of law as presently written.   Continue reading ‘The strange new world of interim final rules’

Published on August 19, 2010 in Health Care Reform. 2 Comments

Highlights from the Colorado Health Foundation Annual Symposium

By Michael Soman, MD

During the last week of July I traveled to the Colorado Health Foundation’s annual symposium in Keystone, CO. It was an honor to represent Group Health in front of 425 people from the worlds of policy, government, business, and health care who want to make a positive difference. What follows are some highlights from the conference. National thought leaders have a great interest in what Group Health does every day.  Continue reading ‘Highlights from the Colorado Health Foundation Annual Symposium’

Published on August 13, 2010 in Health Care Reform. 2 Comments Tags: , .

Addressing problems coverage alone can’t fix

By Eric Larson, MD, MPH
You’ve got to feel for Richard Kronick, professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California San Diego. His Health Affairs “ 2009 article of the year” uncovered unexpected news about the relationship between U.S. health coverage and mortality.
“It was not the answer I wanted,” the former Clinton administration health policy advisor told Politifact.com at the height of last summer’s health reform debate. He added that he might lose a few friends over the work. Even so, he was appointed Health and Human Services deputy secretary of health policy in January 2010. Continue reading ‘Addressing problems coverage alone can’t fix’
Published on August 10, 2010 in Access to care and Health Care Reform. 1 Comment Tags: , .

Meaningful Use

By Matt Handley, MD

The 2009 economic stimulus package included grants and incentives to encourage medical practices to invest in electronic medical records. The legislations required that electronic medical records meet a standard of “meaningful use.” They must be more than converting paper records to digital records. They must improve the quality of care, such as:

  • Improve care coordination
  • Reduce healthcare disparities
  • Engage patients and their families
  • Improve population and public health
  • Ensure adequate privacy and security

The specific standards of meaningful use were defined in June. Continue reading ‘Meaningful Use’

Published on August 6, 2010 in Health Care Reform. 0 Comments

What’s quality got to do with it?

By Diana Birkett Rakow

Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payments and the CMS Star Rating System

The federal health reform bill passed in March took a major step forward ‘on the path toward paying for health care not solely based on the cost of delivering care and the volume of services delivered, but by the quality of care provided to patients.  A significant part of this change will take place in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, where under a new payment system, about 5% of MA plan payments by 2014 will depend on the quality of care and service delivered to people enrolled in that plan – and up to 10% in certain counties.  The new payment system not only drives toward more efficient spending in Medicare, but also toward greater emphasis on quality of care and service. Continue reading ‘What’s quality got to do with it?’

Published on August 4, 2010 in Health Care Reform and Medicare. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .