Health care’s elusive big idea: Less is more

By Eric Larson, MD, MPH

Americans are drowning in data while starving for transformational ideas. So writes Neal Gabler in his August 13 New York Times piece, “The Elusive Big Idea.”

Think Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, Marshall McLuhan’s “medium is the message,” and Betty Friedan’s “feminine mystique.” Concepts like these let us “get our minds around our existence and attempt to answer the big daunting questions of our lives,” wrote Gabler, of the University of Southern California. Such visionary ideas could once “ignite fires of debate, incite revolutions, and fundamentally change the way we look at and think about the world.”  Continue reading ‘Health care’s elusive big idea: Less is more’

Published on September 9, 2011 in Access to care, Health Care Reform and Research. 0 Comments

IOM report confirms immunizations are safe

By John B. Dunn, MD, MPH, Co-chairman, Immunization Population Management Team, Pediatrics and Preventive Care, Group Health Cooperative, Affiliate Investigator, Group Health Research Institute

Parents’ concern about the safety of the immunizations given to their children has been rising steadily for the past decade-and-more. Although immunization against selected infectious diseases has long been an important element of health care for children – and has, in fact, truly changed the face of illness-in-childhood in sweeping ways – there is a growing concern among some parents that the risks associated with immunization may exceed their substantial benefits. Continue reading ‘IOM report confirms immunizations are safe’

Published on September 6, 2011 in Health Safety, Preventive Care and Research. 1 Comment Tags: .

11th Circuit Court of Appeals rules on individual mandate

By Karen Merrikin, JD

The legal battle over the constitutionality of the health care reform law continues at various levels in the federal court system. This past week, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals handed down its opinion, deeming the individual mandate requirement of the Accountable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional. This is in contrast to the 6th Circuit, which upheld the law in its entirety. A ruling from the 4th Circuit is expected shortly. There, two lower court cases came to opposing conclusions; one upheld the individual mandate and one struck it down. Oral arguments in another ACA challenge will be heard in the D.C. Circuit Court in September, and many other cases are pending in the district courts.  Continue reading ’11th Circuit Court of Appeals rules on individual mandate’

Published on September 1, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Making health benefit choices more understandable for consumers

By Megan Howell
Last Wednesday, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury released proposed rules regarding a Uniform Summary of Benefits and Coverage to be used by all health plans across the nation, as required by the Affordable Care Act.  The goal of the Uniform Summary of Benefits and Coverage and accompanying glossary of terms is to increase the transparency of health plan benefits, while enabling consumers to easily understand the health coverage offered under each plan.   
Published on August 23, 2011 in Affordable Care Act. 1 Comment Tags: .

Group Health still #1 in PSHA Community Checkup

By Michael Soman, MD

 For the fifth report in a row, Group Health’s group practice received the most top ratings on quality care measures in the Puget Sound Health Alliance (PSHA) Community Checkup, which was released last week.

The Community Checkup reports on performance related to the treatment of asthma, diabetes, depression, prevention of certain diseases, and the use of antibiotics and generic medications.  Continue reading ‘Group Health still #1 in PSHA Community Checkup’

Published on August 17, 2011 in Quality Health Care. 0 Comments Tags: .

Avoiding ‘optimism bias’ as U.S. budget remains uncertain

By Eric Larson, MD, MPH

Even when Democrats and Republicans agree on little else, they always come together to support funding for medical research.” It’s a long-held belief among health researchers. But this year is different.

After months of intense political wrangling over the nation’s debt ceiling, it’s hard to predict what might happen next. We know that Congress will soon require big cuts across many federal departments—including those that provide 80 percent of Group Health Research Institute (GHRI)’s revenue. Most of our budget comes from multi-year grants, so our immediate outlook is OK. But we must prepare now for a near future with less federal money. Although we don’t know yet where the cuts will be, I fear that medical and health care research—characterized as discretionary—is at risk.  Continue reading ‘Avoiding ‘optimism bias’ as U.S. budget remains uncertain’

Published on August 8, 2011 in Research. 3 Comments Tags: , , .

A learning health care system mobilizes to improve opioid prescribing safety

By Group Health Communications

By Jessica Ridpath, Group Health Research Institute

Guided by research and monitoring patients, Group Health’s new initiative for safer opioid prescribing has produced stunning results in just nine months. Claire Trescott, MD, medical director of primary care, leads this innovative effort to protect patient safety at Group Health—and nationwide.

Drug overdose is a well-recognized health problem that kills more than 26,000 Americans each year. While the decades-long “war on drugs” has focused attention and resources on illegal substances, the nation faces a newer, less obvious threat: prescription opioid pain medicines such as oxycodone (brand name Oxycontin) and hydrocodone (Vicodin).

Fatal overdoses involving prescribed opioids tripled from 1999 to 2006, climbing to almost 14,000 U.S. deaths annually—more than cocaine and heroin overdoses combined. Also troubling are dramatic increases in prescription opioid-related hospitalizations and emergency room visits—and in the number of adolescents abusing or selling opioids found in the family medicine cabinet.  Continue reading ‘A learning health care system mobilizes to improve opioid prescribing safety’

Published on August 8, 2011 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Debt ceiling and deficit reduction (semi) end-game

By Diana Birkett Rakow

After weeks of debate, the White House and Congress have agreed to increase the U.S.debt ceiling while ultimately cutting federal spending by $2.4 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s assessment.

 The House approved the Budget Control Act on Monday evening by a vote of 269-161 (in a wonderful, apolitical moment, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, injured in the shooting in Arizona last January, returned to work for the first time in eight months to cast her vote on this bill). The Senate approved it 74-26 on Tuesday, and it was signed by the President soon thereafter. The last minute deal averted what would have been the first default in U.S.history, but the politically fraught process leading up to yesterday’s default deadline will likely yet have economic and political implications, and the hardest work of identifying specific cuts, revenues, and program changes to reduce the deficit still lies ahead.  Continue reading ‘Debt ceiling and deficit reduction (semi) end-game’

Published on August 3, 2011 in Health Care Reform. 4 Comments

Changes to women’s preventive health benefits

By Karen Merrikin, JD

Section 1001 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) establishes women’s preventive health benefits as a category of mandatory preventive services for all new fully insured and self-funded plans. The ACA, however, provides no specifics about what should be included in this general category. In order to meet some very tight timelines under the law, and likely to mitigate the anticipated controversy over inclusion of reproductive health services, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) tasked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to “review what preventive services are necessary for women’s health and well-being and should be considered in the development of comprehensive guidelines for preventive services for women.”  Continue reading ‘Changes to women’s preventive health benefits’

Published on August 2, 2011 in Health Care Reform and Preventive Care. 0 Comments

The Board of Trustees affects your life as a member and an employee

By Scott Armstrong

A message from Group Health President and CEO Scott Armstrong to members and staff:

In the last few years, Group Health has gotten a lot of attention for our cooperative roots. While some of that attention was misinformed by heated political debates, market research reveals that our consumer-governed structure gives us great credibility and differentiates us from our competitors. A growing number of people think co-ops are “cool.”  Continue reading ‘The Board of Trustees affects your life as a member and an employee’

Published on July 29, 2011 in Health Care Reform. 0 Comments