Medicaid managed care and emergency care.
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Emergency Medical Services↗
Biomedical subjects
S A Kennan
Publications and source records attributed to S A Kennan.
Satisfy the customer: payment reform can fix the system.
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Consumer Behavior↗
Providing children with health care.
Introducing a new column on health policy issues of relevance to physician executives. What are the legislative options to provide children with health care coverage? Federal health initiatives for children have become the next frontier in health care reform. This column defines the problem in the U.S., describes voters' support for a federal initiative, and provides discussion of the options available to federal legislators.
Child↗
A Medicare reform primer.
The use of the federal budget process to change Medicare policy is of importance to physician executives because of its impact on the health care delivery system. In particular, changes in Medicare policy, driven by the need to shore up the solvency of a politically popular program, will create changes for other public and private purchasers of health care. Reforming Medicare through the budget process is not new. Physician fees have been frozen, reduced, and selectively increased as a result. In 1983, the hospital reimbursement methodology was changed to prospective payment through this process. The budget process will continue to be used to make policy changes because of the large amount that Medicare occupies of the federal budget. Given the profound impact changes in Medicare can have in other health care sectors, the lack of consensus for a long-term solution would mean those in the health care arena will have to be prepared for significant annual policy changes through the reconciliation process.
Aged↗
Health data privacy.
How can the tradition of patient-provider confidentiality be preserved and still meet the changing information needs of insurers, employers, public health agencies, policy analysts, and researchers? As countries grapple with the issue of a patient's right to medical record privacy, actions that the U.S. takes in this area will set precedents and have implications for nearly every health care electronic transaction. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to recommend standards for electronic financial and administrative transactions. The HHS focused on the confidentially of patient's health care information, guided by five principles in developing recommendations: (1) Boundaries; (2) Security; (3) Consumer Control; (4) Accountability; and (5) Public Responsibility.
Computer Security↗
Focus on a necessary benefit.
More than 9,000 home health agencies provide services to Medicare beneficiaries. In 1996, 10 percent of Medicare beneficiaries received home health services at a total cost of +18 billion. Rapid growth has forced changes in the structure of the benefit payment system and has made home health an attractive area for fraudulent activities which are now being targeted. Collectively, this important benefit and relatively new industry will face changes in the way they do business and deliver services.
Budgets↗