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Policy Points
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Problems with Medicare payments to physicians, rising health-care costs, and the
increasing number of Americans without insurance show the need for reforms.
President Bush and Congress have approved plans to safeguard against Avian
Influenza. While the public may wonder why it is a big deal, some in the
medical field say the plans are insufficient.
In the wake of the Institute of Medicine’s report about medical errors, Congress, accreditors, and health-care providers
are taking actions to improve patient safety.
As federal and state governments are providing consumers with statistics on
hospital quality, Medicare has begun a demonstration project to pay more for
higher performance
Accreditation standards now limit working hours for residents. As recent studies
reinforce the need for these limits, federal lawmakers hope to solidify them
with new laws.
The AMA recently published an updated manual with its opinions on
medical-ethical issues ranging from end-of-life care to managed care and the
use of e-mails to communicate with patients. These guidelines can help you deal
with ethical dilemmas in your practice.
George W. Bush and John Kerry take different views on the amount of money that
should be spent on health care, the number of people without insurance that is
acceptable, and on the role of the private and public sectors.
Canada’s health-care system has been described as a “symbol of Canadian identity.” Health-care reformers in the U.S. can look to their system for both approaches
to emulate and problems to avoid.
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
affects not only prescription drugs for seniors, but payments to physicians,
other reimbursements, electronic prescriptions, and utilization of HMOs.
The number of Americans without health insurance is rising again. The Institute
of Medicine has assessed the cost of the problem: Approximately 18,000
premature deaths each year due to lack of health insurance, as well as harm to
health-care institutions and the community at large.
Despite its positive contributions to health-care delivery, slow payments and
lack of choice have driven some physicians and patients from managed care
plans. The AMA and state governments are working to correct the problems.
Certain groups are at higher risk for suicide, including older white males,
Native Americans, dentists, and doctors. If primary physicians know what to
look for, they may be able to help individual patients in the days or weeks
before suicide.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and lawmakers both are
seeking to limit residents’ duty time to 80 hours per week. They differ in whether to permit extensions of
those limits for certain situations.
As Medicare reimbursement rates drop, some physicians are unwilling to serve
Medicare patients. Although the service shortage does not seem widespread, a
careful look at how rates are established is due.
No one will be surprised to hear that health-care spending is rising more
rapidly than it has since 1993. The question is “why?” A new report shows the greatest increases are for prescription drugs and health
insurance.
In preparation for a large-scale bioterrorist attack, the CDC has drafted a new
law for states which would grant exceptionally broad powers to public health
authorities in emergencies.
Following the events of September 11, the federal government has ratcheted up
major medical efforts to fight terrorism, including through epidemiological
surveillance, pharmaceutical stockpiles, and improved communications.
The Institute of Medicine has suggested several measures on the part of
government and medical organizations to encourage treatment and prevention of
family violence.
Health-care providers will need to comply with the Bush administration’s privacy regulations by April 2003. Now is a good time to find out what you
will—and will not—need to do.
Most scientists oppose attempts to clone humans in the near future, but some
also oppose laws to prevent cloning which could interfere with research.
As the gap grows between the number of patients who need them and available
organs, the federal government has adopted new rules to try to allocate organs
more equitably.
The National Practitioner Data Bank needs major improvements if it is to be
reliable, says the United States General Accounting Office. Check your own
record.
Although Congress was unable to achieve a patients’ bill of rights, the U.S. Department of Labor has provided more rights for
workers covered by employer-sponsored health plans.
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UO magazine
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UO Inc. © 2009
UO magazine
is published by
UO Inc. © 2009
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