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by rajak

Understanding Obesity And The best Solution

December 5, 2012

In Order for us to fight obesity, we need to understand all the factors that causes it and we need to start from there.

Today, according to statistics, there’s 127 million or 64.5 percent of Americans are considered obese and most of them are adults and it was noted that obesity caused 300,000 deaths in the US alone. When it comes to health care for adult obesity, the cost reached up to $100 billion and still the number of obese people, death related cases connected to obesity and the health care expenses is increasing every year. Aside from their physical appearance that they look so big and could not do regular things every day, these obese people are very prone to serious diseases such as cancer, stroke, heart problems, diabetes and a lot more.

Childhood obesity rate is also fast increasing. Many children now days in the US alone have seen some symptoms that even at early age, they could gain weight easily and no longer the standard weight basing from their age. Obesity needs to be stopped at early age before they will become adult. Obesity now a day is considered as an epidemic that affects millions of people. Over the past ten years, it was observe that the obesity rate for children has significantly increased and even reached to a very alarming number.


Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: fitness No Comments »

Avatar of Martha Bebinger

by Martha Bebinger

Check out the differences in hospital quality across Massachusetts

December 3, 2012

UPDATE: There were errors in the initial posting of our pneumonia quality numbers. We apologize for misrepresenting the quality of care for hospitals that looked worse than others in our original post.

Everyone seems to be talking about the “engaged” patient. Have you noticed? Fine, except there’s stunningly little information about health care with which I can engage.

Some of you are paying attention to how much your MRI or stitches or surgery costs. Tracking down the costs is hard. But try asking about the quality of that test or repair or the normal birth of a baby? Not only is the information hard to find, in many cases it doesn’t exist. It’s just amazing that I get a blank look when I ask, who does the best job with knee surgery or removing a gallbladder or a colonoscopy?

Hospitals say they are making great strides in gathering quality information. That’s great, but turning it into information we, consumers, can use still has a long way to go. And figuring out which doctors do a better job than their colleagues is nearly impossible to determine, expect by word of mouth.

We’re hoping to kick off a broad discussion about where to find the best care, starting with this snapshot of hospital quality in Massachusetts. The scores and ratings you see on the map and bar chart below are not new. This is all public data, collected by private, state or federal agents and posted online somewhere else. We’re pooling a range of quality measures here to offer you a glimpse of how much quality varies from one hospital to the next and to give you a place to ask your questions about what the health care system will and won’t tell you about quality and why.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, let us know. We are putting readers on notice: this the quality information that is available. We don’t think it’s good enough. Many hospitals agree. We all need to push for more. In the meantime, tell us what other quality information you’re looking for. We’ll see if we can help or let you know why we can’t.

Here’s a HUGE thanks to Dianne Finch who created the map and bar chart and to Ted Natoli who collected and packaged the data for this project.

Topics: Quality of care 17 Comments »

Avatar of Sue (Sunni) Patterson

by Sue (Sunni) Patterson

Are Transparent Hospital and Medical Bills on the Rise?

December 3, 2012

News from an Ohio media news site indicates that “hospitals around the country” are trying to make their medical bills easier to read, citing the Healthcare Financial Management Association and a case study for the Cleveland Clinic, one site that has renovated the look of its paper bills.

Most of the changes focus on the idea that traditional bills just have too many lines and lack clarity about who has current responsibility for debt amounts vs. who has already paid. To this end, photos of new billing structures show that complicated sets of line items can be replaced with headings like “You Paid X on X Date” and “Insurance Company Paid X Amount.”

Changing the format for medical bills can help both you and your provider. Because when you can read a bill effectively at a glance, you are more likely to respond immediately to what you receive in the mail. Bills that are too cryptic often just end up getting thrown in the trash or added to the pile. This means the provider receives delayed payment or non-payment and you risk credit damage.

What These Medical Bill Improvements Don’t Address

Although it can be really helpful to make bills more readable, this still doesn’t address some of the most common challenges we encounter. Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: health care costs, Hospital Bills, Insurance Bills, Medical Care Tags: , , , , , , No Comments »

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by HCSavvy

Medicare’s money problems in pictures

November 28, 2012

Another great infographic from the Kaiser Family Foundation (published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week).

Topics: health care costs, Medicare 3 Comments »

Avatar of Martha Bebinger

by Martha Bebinger

What’s a “good” colonoscopy?

November 23, 2012

No bad jokes.  I’m serious.

I’ve reached the wonderful age at which I’m supposed to have this test as part of my general health care.  I had one 10 or so years ago, so I know what I’m in for.  The best thing to be said is that the drugs gave me a deeply restful nap.

The first time, I went wherever my doctor told me to go.  This time, I have a couple of references from my doctor, but I’m going to ask some more questions before I decide whom will perform the delicate procedure.

I’ve talked to a few docs and looked at some websites.  Here’s my list of questions.  Is there anything I should add?

1)     About the prep – what will give me the best cleaning out with the least discomfort?  There’s no point in going through all this if the doc can’t see what s/he is doing.

2)     What’s the doctor’s detection rate?  One medical society (the American Society for Gastrointestinal

Borrowed from Asian Scientist where study found that 30% of colonoscopy patients had polyps.

Endoscopy) says a doctor should find a polyp in 25% of men and 15% of women (why the difference?), but I know that some physician groups around Boston say the average is 40-50% among docs who really look for polyps.

3)     How much time does the doctor spend, on average, on the test?  I think more is better, is that right?

4)     Does the doctor always get to the end of the colon? OK, I may not be able to ask this. Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: health care costs, Medical Care, Quality of care 14 Comments »

Avatar of Sue (Sunni) Patterson

by Sue (Sunni) Patterson

What is Being Done About Medical Billing Fraud?

November 19, 2012

Over the last few years, healthcare insurers have been focusing on fraud detection. Their efforts have been undertaken with the cooperation of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA). The increasing numbers of suspected fraudulent medical claims are related to the economy, legislative attempts to help the consumer and general changes in ethical behavior. Also, a real danger exists because when medical service providers and attorneys are working in cahoots with fraudsters, prescribed treatment can be unnecessary and may even cause harm to patients.

The property and casualty insurance industry is also stepping up to implement fraud control. That’s because a significant amount of healthcare fraud starts with an incident related to property casualty insurance. For example, in the New York City area, about one in five no-fault auto insurance claims appear to contain elements of fraud. In addition, as much as one in three claims appear to be inflated.

Recently the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB) asked leading property/casualty insurers to participate in a project to analyze medical billing data and place it in a single database. It is hoped that the ongoing participation of these insurers on supplying data for this project will enable the industry to be aware of emerging trends regarding potential fraud around medical billing. Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: health care costs, Health Insurance, Insurance Bills, Medical Care, Member Stories Tags: , , , , , , No Comments »

Avatar of Dennis Byron

by Dennis Byron

Picking a Medicare Part D Drug Plan Is Not as Confusing as They Say

November 18, 2012

(The following information applies to Cape Cod, Massachusetts where I live but — with different numbers — the same is true around Massachusetts and most of the United States:)

Despite the ranting of some and overhype by the press, Medicare Part D drug choices are just not as complicated as you may have heard. But seniors do need to do some research on ther past usage and spending first and narrow down what kind of drug coverage they are looking for, based on their circumstances. There are about 30 standalone plans on Cape Cod available to seniors who don’t otherwise get their drug coverage through a current or former employer, a spouse’s current or former employer, the VA, or through a Part C Medicare Advantage plan. But these 30 plans break down into just three categories that align with three typical senior-citizen/Medicare-beneficiary situations:

Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: Medicare 5 Comments »

Avatar of Sue (Sunni) Patterson

by Sue (Sunni) Patterson

Plan Ahead for International Travel Medical Bills

November 2, 2012

You may be closing out 2011 with a holiday trip, domestically or internationally. If you plan to leave the country, you may want to consider the following when it comes to your health:

  • You may not have health insurance coverage for illnesses or injuries that are treated abroad, even if you have US based medical coverage. Confirm with your benefits administrator.
  • Generally, Medicare does not provide coverage for hospital or medical costs incurred abroad, however, rare circumstances may be covered.
  • AARP can assist with obtaining foreign medical coverage and offers valuable travel tips.
  • US consulate personnel will help you locate health care providers and facilities and even contact family members, if necessary.
  • You can purchase travel insurance that covers health care needs and pays for medical evacuation if you need to be transported back to the US for treatment.

Obtaining medical treatment in another country can be expensive and a medical evacuation can cost over $50,000. Plus, you may encounter challenges with deciphering charges while abroad. Be vigilant, prepared, and follow the same self-advocacy steps you would while receiving medical care in your home state.

If you choose to purchase medical expense coverage while travelling abroad, double check you’ve carefully researched the following:

Topics: health care costs, Health Insurance, Insurance Bills, lifestyle, Medical Care, Medicare, Member Stories Tags: , , , , , , , No Comments »

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by HCSavvy

Take a picture of that vial…and other advice for “active patients”

November 1, 2012

“I think the consumer needs to be vigilant. Much as they were with medication errors and prescription mis-fills, they now are more aware that they should understand the drug and how it’s used and who dispensed it and who made it.”

When we heard Bill Gouveia say this during an interview about the meningitis outbreak, we stopped and stared at the radio. How are we, patients, supposed to be vigilant about the source of drugs doctors inject into us, sometimes when we’re out cold?

So we called Gouveia, a former member of the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy who currently teaches at the Northeastern University School of Pharmacy.

Just what did he mean by “consumers need to be vigilant”?

“This comes from the medication safety movement,” says Gouveia. Specifically, he recommends:

1) when a physician says he’s going to inject you with something, ask to see the vial before it is opened
2) copy the information on the label or take a picture of it with your phone
3) if the packaging is different than what you’ve seen before, if the supplier has changed, ask why Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: Medical Care No Comments »

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by Darrien Garay

Wrong Symbol, Right Sentiment?

October 26, 2012

Caduceus
(via Wikipedia)

Look at the symbol in the header for Healthcare Savvy. An emblem of medicine and healthcare, right? Yes. No. Well, sort of.

Rod of Asclepius
(via Wikipedia)

It turns out using the Caduceus, two-winged serpents entwined around a staff, as a symbol for healthcare is a case of historical mistaken identity. The official badge of medicine is the Rod of Asclepius, a single wingless snake coiled around a simple rod. Asclepius, son of Apollo, is the greek god of healing.  The cult of Asclepius– who set up healing temples around Greece– originated the Rod, and it has survived from antiquity. (It is believed that the cult allowed Aesculapian Snakes to slither freely throughout their temples to earn Asclepius’ favor.)

Ok, but why is there a Caduceus at the top of this page and not a Rod of Asclepius? Seems the misunderstanding can be traced back to 1902 when the U.S. Army Medical Corps officially adopted the Caduceus onto their badge. (Legend has it, this is entirely due to the insistence of one, slightly misinformed, officer). The Caduceus has slowly become a fixture of North American iconography ever since.

Hermes holding the Caduceus
(via Wikipedia)

 

But the plot thickens. The Caduceus stems from the greek messenger god Hermes, who carried it on his journeys. Hermes is the patron god of travelers, poets and merchants. Given the fact that healthcare in America has bloomed into BIG business (“U.S. spending annual on physicians per capita is about five times higher than peer countries“), maybe the Caduceus has  become the more appropriate symbol.  Then again, maybe it is not that simple considering Hermes is also the patron of tricksters and thieves.

What do you think? Should HealthCare Savvy be sporting the Caduceus or the Rod of Asclepius?

Topics: Member Stories 1 Comment »

Avatar of Lee Ostrander

by Lee Ostrander

Billing for one medical visit

October 25, 2012

I happened to be paying for trash services (one bill) at the same time as hospital medical services (two bills). One medical bill was for the doctor and the other was for the hospital.

A comparable billing arrangement on trash services would have been to receive one bill for trash collector services and another for the cost of the truck used to haul the trash.

The double billing arrangement puts distance between the medical providers and the facilities they use, and likely simplifies life for the providers, but it also separates the providers from knowledge of the true cost for medical care. Double billing also means that patients have more difficulty trying to decipher the billing.

Let’s hope that trash collectors and other service providers do not adopt a similar double billing arrangement.

Topics: Member Stories 2 Comments »

Avatar of Martha Bebinger

by Martha Bebinger

Blue Cross paid $1,650 for my $8,000 MRI

October 22, 2012

Well, this world of medical billing and costs is really wild.

I wrote a few weeks ago about getting bills that totaled just under $8,000 for an MRI (actually I got two tests while in the machine although I didn’t know this at the time)

Last week, the hospital sent me a more detailed bill that shows how much of what they charged Blue Cross actually paid. The total charge from Newton Wellesley Hospital (two tests plus fee to read the test) was $7,876.  Blue Cross paid $1,650 (that’s $1,360 for the tests and $290 in physician’s fees).

Two things jump out at me.

1) the difference between what Newton Wellesley charges anyone who pays cash, and what they pay the largest insurer in Massachusetts is $6,226. Patients who pay cash for these tests are getting a really horrible deal if they don’t shop around.

2) the difference between what Blue Cross pays Newton Wellesley and what Blue Cross paid the cheapest place I found for an MRI, Shields, is not much.  Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: health care costs, Hospital Bills 3 Comments »

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by Adrian Gropper MD

Your health data could be worth over $3,000 / year

October 21, 2012

In a recent post about the new MA Health Information Exchange, I suggested that a patient-accessible connection to the HIE could save a patient thousands of dollars per year. And now there’s a real-world, peer-reviewed example of what we/’re talking about. Research of medicare Part D beneficiaries published in October 2012 issue of Health Affairs (sorry, it’s paywalled) shows:

“Nationwide, beneficiaries on average spent $368 more annually than they would have spent had they purchased the cheapest plan available in their region, given their medication needs. More than a fifth of beneficiaries spent at least $500 a year more than they needed to.”

and

“Our findings suggest that beneficiaries need more targeted assistance from the government to help them choose plans, such as customized communications about the most cost-effective plans that would cover their medication needs.”

Prescription drugs, as covered by Part D, represent about 10% of the nation’s overall healthcare cost. If, as a gross estimate, we took $368 from this study to be 10% of what a person would save if their overall health insurance was appropriate to their specific needs, then the annual per/beneficiary saving would be over $3,000.

To save this kind of money, patients will need to be able to pay an accountant or similar trusted advocate to match their specific health care costs Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: health care costs, Health Insurance 4 Comments »

Avatar of Lee Ostrander

by Lee Ostrander

What is going on with some familiar OTC products?

October 19, 2012

I have noticed that a number of familiar OTC drug store products are difficult to come by for the last several months, including Maalox, Triaminic, Lamisil, and seemingly much more.. Looking online, I see that production was suspended by Novartis in Lincoln Nebraska and Boucherville Quebec due to some troubles, according to reports.

http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/novartis-pulls-otc-meds-made-troubled-plant/2012-01-09
http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/novartis-pulls-otc-meds-made-troubled-plant/2012-01-09

The company is apparently just fine for a considerable length of time without these products, thank you, because for example, sales from Lincoln plant production are reported to have been less than 2% of Novartis sales.

I am not a big consumer of these products but have used some, and have found them to be of occasional positive benefit.  Now that they are not available, I ask myself if I have actually been wasting my money buying them.

In an online search, the most recent news as to what is going on appears to be a local report from way back in Mar 2012.   I can’t find any information on when the previous availability may return.

Topics: health care costs, News No Comments »

Avatar of Lee Ostrander

by Lee Ostrander

Hospital cost infographics

October 19, 2012

We already know about spiraling health care costs, but more information doesn’t hurt.  Here is a comparison with other industrialized countries.  The data is from a group affiliated with GWU’s School of Media and Public Affairs.  The direct link is here. A shorter summary is here.

Topics: health care costs, Hospital Bills, International Health Care 1 Comment »

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by Virginia D Reiber

US Healthcare: an oxymoron

October 19, 2012

It was very exciting to read about Amanda’s grass roots Twitter research.  Amanda, you have started an activist conversation that we, the people, need to have.  Comments from so many people on what Amanda started touched on a deep and growing moral and economic issue for which we must demand answers: loss of a job means loss of insurance, medical debt, loss of shelter and bankruptcy is not a rarity, unaffordable insurance premiums as the norm for the middle class, poor medical care for the disenfranchised, etc.  I will add another observation.  Do you know that if you have a very serious mental illness, have MassHealth, and need to be in hospital, you may wait 2-3 days in an ER for a bed?  Or, if you have poor insurance, be treated in the ER, and when you are medicated and are saner, sent home? There also were a couple of comments from folks who wanted to know why the US did not have systems of care like The UK and Canada.  People want to move to Vermont where there is a progressive move toward single payer healthcare for everybody.  There IS an organization in the US committed to healthcare for all. PNHP was started by public health physicians in 1985!

Does anyone wonder why there is no political will in the US? PNHP started in 1985 with the inception of “managed care”, also viewed by many of us as for-profit healthcare. In this case “healthcare” is an oxymoron, isn’t it? Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: Health Insurance, Hospital Bills, Insurance Bills, Medical Care, Medical Debt Tags: , , , No Comments »

Avatar of Adrian Gropper MD

by Adrian Gropper MD

MA Health Information Exchange Live Today

October 16, 2012

Our new health information exchange went live today starting with the ceremonial transmission of Governor Patrick’s health record from one hospital to another. The best description of the event is on John Halamka’s Blog today and yesterday. The exchange is interesting to the healthcaresavvy for a couple of reasons including its Direct secure email roots and future tie-ins to payment reform.

The Massachusetts Health Information Highway (the HIway) is based on the Direct secure messaging protocols mandated as part of federal EHR Meaningful Use Stage 2. As of 2014, all electronic health records that are eligible for federal incentive payments will have to send and receive Direct messages. Although patients do not have access to MA HIway yet, patients do have access to Direct messaging. Microsoft HealthVault offers free Direct email addresses, for example. I don’t know how long it will be before your doctor can send your health record to your Direct email address but there’s no fundamental reason it could not be done today using the MA HIway. Having your doctor receive a secure message from you, the patient, is also technically now possible. The questions of spam filtering, reimbursement and the doctor’s liability in receiving possibly unsolicited messages from patients (and, for that matter from other doctors) remain to be sorted out.

The tie-in to payment reform will come in future enhancements to the exchange. Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: health care costs, Member Stories, News 2 Comments »

Avatar of Martha Bebinger

by Martha Bebinger

Check This! @amandapalmer’s #insurancepoll

October 16, 2012

As you read this, there’s a fascinating conversation about health insurance in America and abroad taking place on Twitter and on musician Amanda Palmer’s blog. It’s an outpouring of stories about medical bankruptcy, asking a friend to stitch up a deep finger wound, skipping medications and losing loved ones who couldn’t afford needed care.

The conversation started shortly after Palmer read Nick Kristof’s column about a college buddy with stage 4 prostate cancer, cancer he didn’t catch sooner because he didn’t have health insurance.

Palmer decided to poll her 698k Twitter followers about their health insurance, She asked these four questions:

1) COUNTRY?! 2) profession? 3) insured? 4) if not, why not, if so, at what cost per month (or covered by job)?

Palmer has a couple of volunteers now tallying the results, which keep coming in (check the hashtag #insurancepoll).

Many of Palmer’s followers live in Germany, the UK or France and are baffled by the stories on Palmer’s blog about the cracks in the American health care system.

In Massachusetts, Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: health care costs, Health Insurance, Insurance Bills, Medical Debt 7 Comments »

Avatar of Sue (Sunni) Patterson

by Sue (Sunni) Patterson

Share Your Medical Bill Story in 2012 Cost of Care Contest

October 15, 2012

In listening to you, we’ve found, time and time again, that outrageously high medical bills are not a rare occurrence in this country. Many glitches and loopholes in today’s American health care system often leads to unexpected, mysterious billed amounts that threaten individual families and force many Americans to the brink of bankruptcy or worse. But too often, those with serious medical financial problems have no outlet for their rage and consternation.

Now, a non-profit consumer advocacy group called Costs of Care is sponsoring a contest that’s based on listening to the American patient – yes, you! Anyone who has ever had to deal with a surprise high-dollar bill for medical care is invited to participate.

The Costs of Care 2012 Essay Contest provides a listening ear for struggling Americans, and even a chance to win a portion of $4000 in cash prizes. Contest creators seek “anecdotes,” not policy positions, about big medical billing problems, and “high value healthcare decisions.” Judges include former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and other panelists, including doctors and health care officials. The deadline for this contest is November 15, so would-be contestants have just a short time to send in their stories of up to 750 words for consideration.

What’s behind the Contest

In soliciting stories from American patients, Costs of Care and other participants are seeking to put needed pressure on today’s community of medical providers. Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: health care costs, Health Insurance, Hospital Bills, Insurance Bills, Medical Care, Member Stories Tags: , , , No Comments »

Avatar of Dennis Byron

by Dennis Byron

Warn Seniors Not to Buy the Most Expensive Medicare Part D Plan in the County

October 11, 2012

There is an interesting article posted on the Health Day blog of U.S. News October 11 headlined

 “Many Seniors Overpaying for Medicare Drug Plans”

The underlying research comes from a University of Pittsburg duo. Chao Zhou is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Health Policy and Management, and Yuting Zhang is an assistant professor of health economics. I am sure it is not coincidental that this research appeared this week and Open Enrollment for Part D Prescription Drug Plans (and Part C Medicare Advantage plans which typically include Part D) begins Monday October 15.

This subject needs substantially more discussion. The U.S. News article says choosing a prescription drug plan

“… often leads to seniors paying hundreds of dollars more a year than they need to…”

But the actual research (gated on Health Affairs) referred to in the U.S. News article says

“Median total patient spending—that is, out-of-pocket drug costs and premiums—in 2009 was $990.”

It’s hard for me to figure how seniors are paying “hundreds of dollars more a year than they need to” when they are only paying hundreds of dollars a year in the first place. But I know from personal experience as a SHINE volunteer that some over spending on drug plans occurs…

Read the rest of this entry →

Topics: Medicare No Comments »