Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
I have spilled much ink on this blog discussing the pros and cons of pay-for-performance approaches to medicine. Incentivizing high quality care is good in theory, but in practice changes in quality have been modest and providers may be able to readily game the system. Despite these challenges, Medicare announced this week that it would being tying 30…
You have been studying the the teams, getting the snacks, and reading up on “Deflate-gate.” You’re ready to grab a beverage and watch some commercials football. The Super Bowl is almost upon us. Before you turn on the TV for the game, however, an even more exciting event is upon us: the Health Wonk Review! So get…
Right now, the answer is no, but in the near future, this may no longer be the case. The FDA has released a draft guidance on how it will regulate the new generation of wearable technology. This guidance says it will not regulate “general wellness” products like the FitBit. However, if the wearable cites health benefits for…
In November, Willard Manning passed away. I met Dr. Manning as he was a lecturer at the European Science Days summer school in Steyr, Austria. iHEA has put together a nice in memoriam article and I have an sample of that below. I will echo that although Dr. Manning was best know for his work on the RAND…
What is precision medicine? Medicaid fees and access to care Potentially practical, in a world without fraud. The graveyard shift. Ebola turning point?
The Healthcare Economist’s annual tradition is upon us. I review the President’s State of the Union address, identify all healthcare related comments, and provide commentary. So without futher ado… And in the past year alone, about ten million uninsured Americans finally gained the security of health coverage. The President pats himself on the back for the…
Who pays public employee health costs? How to lose weight? White Coats for Black Lives Flu shot efficacy. The ObamaTax.
There have been numerous efforts to measure quality of health care, especially among the elderly. For instance, Nursing Home Compare measures of quality of care for nursing homes. However, these quality measures focus on health and safety. They do not measure quality of life. Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal describes why nursing homes focus more on…
US investment in medical research. Health insurance cost the most in this state. 23% Can technology fix the adherence problem? Disney’s got a case of….
Vince Kuraitis has posted a most excellent “Shake the Winter Blahs” Edition of Health Wonk Review at e-Care Management Blog.