Hits & Misses – 2009/01/26
Rhode Island gets the nation's first Medicaid block grant.
Rhode Island will be the first state to cap overall spending on Medicaid in an experiment starting early this year…In exchange, the state will be allowed to change health care programs that have been tightly controlled by the federal government.
Does gastric bypass surgery save money?
For years, Bob Clegg's insurance company paid out some $3,000 a month for doctor visits, drugs and medical devices to treat the health problems caused by his obesity. In September 2007, when his weight peaked at 380 pounds (172 kg), he had gastric bypass surgery, and now his health issues – joint pain, sleep apnea and esophageal problems – have vanished, and so have the medical bills.
The downside of digitizing patient records.
An unrealistically fast rollout could lead to unqualified technicians installing systems in ways that lead to frustration and backlash among doctors… "My data's a mess and my patients are angry."
It is the opinion of mainstream and state-of-the-art medicine and physiology that these claims are not only ludicrous but tantamount to fraud…The contents of what ends up being consumed during a "detox" are essentially stimulants, laxatives and diuretics.
Good news on Rhode Island. But why do I suspect that it’s not really a true block grant. Can Rhode Island really spend the money any way they want to so long as it goes for health?
Even so Ken, the principle has been established. The goal: Give states the money and let them decide how to spend it.
On the EMR piece, that is why Congressional legislation is likely to do more harm than good.