Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission released its recommendations for changes to Medicare, and they aren’t just playing around at the margins. Key recommendations include – –instituting a pay-for-performance scheme for hospitals, doctors, and home-care facilities (no details provided…) –extend the … Continue reading Possible changes in Medicare
Read More...Medicare is slashing what it pays physicians, an annual event that – till now – was almost always rejected by Congress. That will reduce old folks’ access to care, cut workers’ comp fee schedules, and likely lead to more provider … Continue reading Signs of the coming apocalypse
Read More...Wonder why that office visit/imaging study/minor surgery/diagnostic test costs twice what it did last year? Partly/mostly because the physician practice was acquired by a health system or big hospital…which – under current Federal law – allows the new owner to upcharge … Continue reading Medical costs are going up because…
Read More...Basics here folks… Facility costs soak up 2 out of every 5 dollars of work comp medical spend. “Physician” costs take up another 2 bucks…however that is misleading. In NCCI-speak, “physician” is a catch-all for most practitioners…MDs, DOs, PTs, chiropractors, … Continue reading the basics of price and spend in work comp medical…
Read More...is hospitals hoovering dollars out of employers, work comp insurers, and taxpayers’ wallets. (sorry all…due to a bug in WordPress some of you may be getting this again) WCRI’s latest research report on hospital costs is a must-read for anyone … Continue reading that giant sucking sound…v3
Read More...is hospitals hoovering dollars out of employers, work comp insurers, and taxpayers’ wallets. WCRI’s latest research report on hospital costs is a must-read for anyone involved in work comp claims, medical management and actuarial issues. Kudos to Drs Olesya Fomenko … Continue reading That giant sucking sound…v2
Read More...I know – who woulda believed it? Nothing like an end-of-the-year deadline and a looming change of power in the House of Representatives to motivate elected officials. Here are the big items and what it means for you. Hint – … Continue reading Congress actually gets good stuff done!
Read More...Perhaps the most practical presentation at this year’s WCRI conference focused on outpatient facility costs. While the content itself was excellent, what was more valuable were the implications for medical spend management. Rebecca Yang PhD provided a wealth of information … Continue reading Facilities, fee schedules, and what should be your takeaway
Read More...Happy Friday! It’s Research Roundup time. Here’s my quick takeaways on new research – and how it affects you. WCRI on the interaction of health insurance and workers’ comp Bogdan Savych PhD of WCRI has provided an excellent review of … Continue reading Worker outcomes, opioid reductions, and prices for drugs and hospitals
Read More...or the longer version…What does this have to do with workers’ comp? I hear that far too often, usually when talking with a work comp exec about Medicare reimbursement changes, the number of workers without health insurance, MS-DRGs, Medicaid expansion, … Continue reading So what?
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