Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
To understand how hard it is going to be to control health care costs, one merely has to consider the outrage surrounding TSA’s recent roll-out of ‘enhanced security’ measures – measures which include ‘enhanced pat downs’ and full body scans. … Continue reading Body scans and reforming health care – good luck with that
Read More...A new study by Paul Ginsburg at the Center for Health System Change reveals what we on the inside of the insurance industry have long ‘known’: The balance of power in rate negotiations has moved decisively from payers to providers … Continue reading Provider bargaining power is growing – and that’s a problem
Read More...There’s no question the Accountable Care Act needs work – everyone agrees on that. So let’s talk about the specifics – what needs fixing, why, and how can we get those fixes passed. First, let’s understand how bad our current … Continue reading How to ‘fix’ health reform – part one
Read More...Yesterday I discussed the ongoing debate about potential changes to California’s work comp fee schedule. In case my position was too subtle, I’ve got grave reservations about using RBRVS (Medicare) as the basis for a work comp physician fee schedule. … Continue reading California Work Comp – Part Two – the hospitals…and what to do about them
Read More...There’s a lot going on in California’s workers comp system – medical costs zooming up and driving premium increases along the way, narcotic usage skyrocketing, a dramatic increase in scripts for medical foods and compounds, judges upholding controversial decisions, and … Continue reading California work comp – Part One, the fee schedule debate
Read More...I’ve just about had it with the GOP’s demagoguing about deficits. The party of fiscal responsibility, of low taxes and small government, of controlled spending and personal responsibility – that party – seems to have rediscovered its roots of late, … Continue reading Demagogues, Deficits and Healthcare
Read More...As states take on the growing problem of surgical implant costs – the latest (and arguably greatest) effort by certain providers to reap huge profits from workers comp payers and employers, it’s time to delve into the problem – and … Continue reading Surgical implants – why the ‘price’…isn’t
Read More...Congress and the White House are working to come up with a fix for Medicare’s big-and-getting-bigger physician reimbursement (RBRVS) problem. And as I’ve been saying for months, when (not if) this happens, it will have dramatic effect on health care … Continue reading Physician fees will change – are you paying attention?
Read More...Much of my writing over the past few weeks has focused on the future of work comp – the impact of reform, economic influences, the increasing negotiating power of health systems, changes in Medicare’s physician fee schedule (which WILL impact … Continue reading Where the work comp world is headed – part 4, pharma costs
Read More...Health Affairs’ most recent edition includes a piece [sub req] on the changing health care landscape in California, one that now has hospitals occupying the high ground. The historical background is telling; too many hospitals to begin led to tough … Continue reading Hospital costs in California – the tide has turned
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