Category: Healthcosts

MEwens
In the Big Issues special report on health care, the WSJ explores the pros and cons of proposed patient identification numbers.
The numbers would be assigned to every individual in the U.S., similar to a Social Security number, but for use by health-care providers. Proponents say that as medical records go digital and […]

WSJ Staff
The latest national health spending figures out Monday show slowed growth in medical expenditures in 2010 — and plenty of debate fodder for both policy wonks and political partisans.
For a start, there’s little consensus among analysts over the causes of the slowdown.
Republicans are seizing on the explanation that it’s the product of […]

MEwens
Vioxx Settlement: The U.S. Justice Department said Merck agreed to pay $950 million and plead guilty to a criminal misdemeanor charge to resolve allegations that the company promoted its now-defunct pain drug Vioxx for rheumatoid arthritis before the FDA approved it for that use, the WSJ reports. Merck had reserved that amount last […]

Katherine Hobson
Where does emergency medicine fit into the new era of medical homes, accountable care organizations and bundled payments?
In a new editorial in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, several emergency physicians warn of the challenges of incorporating what ER docs do into new models that move away from the current fee-for-service payment to […]

MEwens
For patients with immediate medical needs, a growing number of walk-in clinics  and freestanding emergency rooms offer an alternative to hours-long waits in the hospital emergency department, today’s Informed Patient column reports.
Many urgent-care clinics are independently owned by physician groups  and in-store retail clinics are run by chains like Walgreen and CVS. But […]

MEwens
A Pfizer Pharmacy?: Pfizer is planning to sell Lipitor at generic prices directly to consumers after the patent on the drug expires at the end of the month, the WSJ reports. The company is partnering with a specialty pharmacy to mail Lipitor to patients. Health plans that have contracted with Pfizer “would pay […]

MEwens
Pharma Deal: Gilead will pay about $10.4 billion — about $11 billion, including options — for drug developer Pharmasset, the WSJ reports. Pharmasset’s board has approved the deal, which values the company at $137 per share, an 89% premium to Friday’s closing price. Pharmasset said last month it was expanding a trial of […]

MEwens
Heart Unhealthy Kids: A new analysis of federal data of nearly 5,500 adolescents shows that not a single one met recommended standards for healthy diet, reports the WSJ. They also scored dismally low as a group on six other criteria for heart health, including exercise, smoking and blood pressure. The findings led one […]

MEwens
Deficit-reduction proposals to change the structure of Medicare would increase costs for most current beneficiaries, a new study has found.
Several deficit-reduction committees have suggested changing the federal health-care program for seniors to combine the hospital- and doctor-services deductibles that participants currently pay separately. In this system, seniors could have a $550 annual deductible, […]

MEwens
There’s a lot of concern today that paying fees to medical providers for each service may lead to unnecessary care. But there’s no easy way to replace the massively complicated fee-for-service system.
One of the fashionable suggestions for new-style payment is “bundling”, in which providers typically get a set amount that is supposed to […]