Posts Tagged ‘Health care’

Seattle-based Microsoft solved the problem of expensive emergency department (ED) claims by its employees and their families with a new model: engage a team of physicians to make house calls. The visiting physicians save the company 35 percent against an ED visit and have become a popular benefit, according to an article in the Nov. 16 issue of Business Week.

The  program, called Mobile Medicine, also is proving another benefit for Microsoft and its employees during the H1N1 influenza pandemic. Employees can be diagnosed at home without infecting coworkers or visiting an ED. Family members can be seen without having to leave the house.

While several physicians throughout the nation have adopted a cash-only house call model, this approach by Microsoft is unique in that it was established to solve a problem with growing visits to EDs for non-life threatening situations. And because home visits typically last up to an hour, compared with the 10 minutes most Americans average in a doctor’s office, the article says studies show the visiting physicians are better able to identify the underlying causes of a complaint and target which family members may be at risk.

Read more about the program in “The Return of the House Call” (Conlin, Nov. 5).

Health insurers will soon have a new, independent database to use for determining out-of-network payment rates for physicians. Not-for-profit company FAIR Health Inc. and an Upstate New York research network headquartered at Syracuse University are charged with the task of developing the new database. Read more »

Approximately 8,000 students and credentialed health care professionals will get the financial backing they need for training by the end of 2010. Read more »

According to the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), the U.S. House of Representatives has inserted language into its health care reform designating certified diabetes educators (CDEs®) as Medicare providers for outpatient diabetes self-management training (DSMT). Read more »

Amid a flailing economy, the age-old practice of bartering is making a come-back in the health care industry. Individuals, business owners, and physicians benefit, some say.

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President Obama’s proposed 2010 federal budget is a vast $3.5 trillion. The House passed their version of the budget April 2, and the Senate passed their version shortly thereafter.

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Health care organizations, hospitals, and providers, as well as policy makers and schools, have a new tool they can use to help develop strategies to meet future workforce demands. Health Workforce Information Center (HWIC) is an online information resource center providing up-to-date news, data, and research on the nation’s health workforce. Read more on NurseZone.com.

Suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) who bill Medicare Part B have until Sept. 30 to obtain accreditation. For those who haven’t submitted an application yet, it may be too late.

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White House forums on health reform are being conducted across the country. Don’t miss your chance to be heard.

Upcoming forums are:

• Des Moines, Iowa – March 23
• Greensboro, N.C. – March 31
• Los Angeles, Calif. – April 6

Submit questions you’d like addressed at one of these forums on the HealthReform.gov Web site.

President Obama announced March 2 the release of $155 million in grant funds authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for 126 new health centers across the country. These grants, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), are expected to create 5,500 jobs and help provide health services for 750,000 Americans in need of health care.

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