Slightly bruised by regulations, home care agencies can use help from their distributors. And they’re getting it. With an estimated 10,000 to 11,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day, it’s a safe bet that home care will play a growing role in the future of U.S healthcare. For one thing, surveys indicate that aging Boomers prefer home care to institutional care. For … [Read more...]
Patients, Payers Cut Costs with ASCs
The cost of medical procedures performed at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) is generally lower than that of procedures performed at hospital inpatient departments. Both the number and range of procedures performed in ASCs has grown substantially in recent years, leading to lower costs for both public and private payers, as well as patients. By one estimate, consumers could … [Read more...]
MARCA and HEDIS
Where will regulatory updates take physician offices? Ensuring a smooth continuum of care for discharged hospital patients, curbing opioid usage, and telehealth were all on the minds of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), as it issued new technical specifications for the 2018 edition of the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, or HEDIS. The … [Read more...]
Coronary artery disease: The facts
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year – that’s one in every four deaths. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease in the United States, killing more than 370,000 people annually. For some … [Read more...]
Health news and notes
Overweight, obesity and cancer Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk of 13 types of cancer. These cancers account for about 40 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States in 2014, according to the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the rate of new cancer cases has decreased since the 1990s, but … [Read more...]