Economics

This channel highlights factors that impact hospital and healthcare economics and revenue. This includes news on healthcare policies, reimbursement, marketing, business plans, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, salaries, staffing, and the implementation of a cost-effective environment for patients and providers.

Price transparency study in radiology

Senators question drugmakers over rising insulin prices

Two U.S. senators launched a bipartisan investigation into rising insulin prices on Feb. 22, sending letters to the drug's top three manufacturers seeking information about why costs have risen so sharply in recent years.

February 25, 2019

Quality of CAD care higher for Medicare Advantage patients

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) enrolled in private insurance plans through Medicare Advantage (MA) are more likely to receive guideline-recommended medications for secondary prevention than those in fee-for-service Medicare, according to a new analysis in JAMA Cardiology. But that wasn't tied to improvements in blood pressure or cholesterol levels.

February 22, 2019
Rick Perry official department of energy

Department of Energy opens negotiations with 4 US companies to fund Mo-99 production

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will negotiate with four U.S. companies to potentially fund molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production without the use of highly enriched uranium.

February 21, 2019

Nearly half of Americans with ASCVD struggle with medical bills

About 45 percent of Americans with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) experience financial hardship related to medical bills, despite most of them having health insurance, according to a new paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

February 13, 2019
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Food deserts linked to poor CV outcomes

Living in food deserts—residential areas with low net income and poor access to healthy food—was independently linked to adverse outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease in a study of nearly 5,000 subjects, researchers reported Feb. 11 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

February 12, 2019

Upping physicians' pay-for-performance bonuses tied to better care

Increasing physicians’ bonus sizes was linked to significantly improved quality of care for their patients, according to a study from a single health system published Feb. 8 in JAMA Network Open. However, adding the behavioral economic principles of social pressure and loss aversion failed to further improve providers’ effectiveness.

February 11, 2019
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Some Irish teens’ heart health comparable to that of 60-year-olds

Research gathered as part of Irish Life Health’s annual fitness challenge has revealed the cardiovascular health of some local 15-year-olds is comparable to that of 55- or 60-year-olds—something experts are attributing to low levels of physical activity among the country’s youth.

February 11, 2019

Erlanger, radiology group reach agreement after contract dispute

Tennessee Interventional Imaging Associates (TIAA) reached an agreement with Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Erlanger Health System to remain its radiology service provider, according to the Times Free Press. The parties had previously been in a contract dispute that threatened the hospital’s premier stroke program.

February 11, 2019

Around the web

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

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