Monday, August 29, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Missing Ingredient in Accountable Care - NYTimes.com
A very well written article in the NY Times about ACOs. This is the odd thing about our healthcare model. Is there any other business in which the government and companies could plan a service offering and not consider the consumer?
On the other hand, the ACO organization that understands they have the opportunity to build a service model can be enormously successful.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Todd Baker: Some Doctors Question Medicare Program in Health Law
Todd Baker: Some Doctors Question Medicare Program in Health Law
Interesting ACO article in the Huffington Post
Interesting ACO article in the Huffington Post
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Medication Adherence Leads To Lower Health Care Use And Costs Despite Increased Drug Spending — Health Aff
CVS Caremark just released the results of their study “Medication Adherence Leads to Lower Health Care Use and Costs Despite Increased Drug Spending” in the January issue of Health Affairs.
- Looked at pharmacy and medical claims
- 135,000 patients
- Patients with with one of more of the following – congestive heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia
“There have been many studies through the years that suggest adherence can save on health care costs, but the issue has not been central to health care cost discussions because those studies did not establish a causal link. We took the research further and what we found is that although adherent patients spend more on medications – as much as $1,000 more annually – across the board they spend significantly less for their overall health care costs” by Troyen A. Brennan, MD, MPH, EVP and Chief medical Officer of CVS Caremark (source)
The savings associated with being adherent were:
- Congestive heart failure = $7,823
- Diabetes = $3,756
- Hypertension = $3,908
- Dyslipidemia = $1,258
Engaging Providers in Medication Adherence
While 340B drug pricing can create a great opportunity for a covered entity, a well run pharmacy program has to be about more than logistics. Simply setting up a bunch of contract pharmacies can miss the point. Providers must be engaged and medication adherence (better outcomes and healthier patients) must be a goal of the entity's pharmacy strategy.
Engaging Providers in Medication Adherence: A Health Plan Case Study | American Health & Drug Benefits
Engaging Providers in Medication Adherence: A Health Plan Case Study | American Health & Drug Benefits
Medication Adherence is going to increase in importance as ACOs start to pull themselves together
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that include DISH hospitals and FQHCs have a great opportunity to use the 340B drug program to increase the service level to their patients, create a revenue stream, and help be sure their patients have the medicines they need.
Medication Adherence: Effectiveness of Physician Alerts to Resolve Potential Gaps in Pharmacotherapy | American Health & Drug Benefits
By Joshua N. Liberman, PhD; Janice Moore, MPH; Asif Ally, RPh, MBA; and Troyen A. Brennan, JD, MD
Medication Adherence: Effectiveness of Physician Alerts to Resolve Potential Gaps in Pharmacotherapy | American Health & Drug Benefits
By Joshua N. Liberman, PhD; Janice Moore, MPH; Asif Ally, RPh, MBA; and Troyen A. Brennan, JD, MD
American Health & Drug Benefits: June 2010 Issue
The July 2010 issue of the journal American Health & Drug Benefits includes a valuable mix of studies and articles of interest to decision makers. Topics include health reform, bundled payment, drug pricing, benefit design, Medicaid, medication therapy, and specific clinical conditions.
2011 Poised to be a Great Year for Pharmacies with 340B drug pricing access
While the 340B drug discount has been around since 1992, many of the entities that qualify for the discounted drug pricing are just starting to realize the full potential of the program. For years, the program has been seen as a method to purchase drugs at a low price and sell drugs at a low price, with little attention paid to the opportunity to dispense these drugs with a low cost basis when billing insured patients. As safety net providers begin to look for additional revenue resources this trend is starting to change.
Hospitals realized the amount of money they can save in specialty drugs early on and have been proactive in certain therapeutic classes. However, with a move to Accountable Care, a need to manage patients more closely, and the potential to expand to their entire base of eligible patients, expect the reach of hospitals to increase, closely followed by Federally Qualified Health Centers and other eligible entities.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)