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Trying to find a story from a past AHA NewsNow? Use the button below to search the NewsNow archives by date or key word.
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CDC: 43.8 million Americans uninsured in 2008 07/02/2009
An estimated 43.8 million Americans had no health insurance in 2008, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's 700,000 more people than in 2007 and 2.8 million more than in 1997. Massachusetts had the lowest percentage of uninsured residents under age 65 (3.4%), and Texas had the highest (22.9%). An estimated 8.9% of children had no health insurance, the same as in 2007 but down from 13.9% in 1997. CDC also released a second report on health coverage trends, which shows that the number of Americans under 65 without health insurance has increased by more than 20 million since its lowest point in 1978. The data are from the CDC's National Health Interview Survey.
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Insurer estimates savings from streamlining administrative processes 07/02/2009
National health spending could be reduced by $332 billion over 10 years by using technology to modernize the administrative and transactional aspects of health care, according to a new report by UnitedHealth Group. Among other proposals, the report calls for using automated cards to validate patient eligibility and benefits at the point of service, eliminating paper checks and remittance advice; integrating electronic medical records and personal health records; creating a national clearinghouse to audit and ensure correct payments; having all payers use a single credentialing and hospital privileging process; and standardizing physician performance measurement.
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AHRQ: Kids' sports injuries commonly treated in ED 07/02/2009
Sports-related injuries account for more than one-fifth of children's injuries treated in the emergency department, according to a new report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Only 1.3% of the visits result in hospital admission. ED visits for sports-related injuries are higher in rural than urban areas, and three times higher for boys than girls. The findings are based on 2006 data from the agency's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.
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Hospital employment climbs in June 07/02/2009
Employment at the nation's hospitals rose in June to a seasonally adjusted 4,723,100 people, the Bureau of Labor Statistics today. That's 3,700 more than in May and 89,100 more than a year ago. Without the seasonal adjustment, which removes the effect of fluctuations due to seasonal events, hospitals employed 4,730,400 people in June, 24,300 more than in May and 87,200 more than a year ago. The nation's overall unemployment rate rose by one-tenth of a percentage point in June to 9.5%.
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CMS issues proposed hospital outpatient, ASC rule 07/01/2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services tonight released its proposed rule updating payment policies and rates for hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgical centers for calendar year 2010. CMS projects that proposed payment rates under the outpatient prospective payment system would result in a 1.9% increase in Medicare payment for providers paid under the OPPS. Among other provisions, the proposed rule includes changes to the hospital outpatient quality data reporting program, and would establish procedures to make the data collected through the reporting program publicly available. CMS will accept comments on the rule through Aug. 31, and plans to issue a final rule by Nov. 1. The AHA is reviewing the proposed rule and will get details to its members in an upcoming communication.
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HUD to refinance debt for hospitals 07/01/2009
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today implemented its authority to refinance debt for hospitals under the Section 242 hospital mortgage insurance program, without conditioning such refinancing on new construction or renovation. The agency issued a notice outlining how it will implement the provisions, and plans to publish a rule to make refinancing a permanent component of the program. Hospitals seeking refinancing may apply under the notice, or wait for HUD to issue the debt-refinancing rule. The AHA has urged HUD and Congress to enhance the Section 242 program in the wake of the economic downturn, which has made it harder for hospitals to access capital. In a May letter to the House Financial Services Committee, the AHA said hospitals' "inability to refinance existing debts has forced many to divert needed patient care resources to pay down current obligations, often at accelerated rates."
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CMS proposes 21.5% payment cut for physicians in 2010 07/01/2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today issued a proposed rule cutting Medicare payment rates for physicians by 21.5% in calendar year 2010. However, in anticipation of similar action by Congress, CMS proposes to remove physician-administered drugs from the annual payment update formula, which CMS projects will raise the payment update in future years. CMS also proposes reducing physician fee schedule payments for advanced imaging services in order to promote reduced utilization, and requiring certain providers of the technical component of advanced imaging services to be accredited by 2012, as stipulated in the 2008 Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act. These providers include physician offices, mobile units and independent diagnostic testing facilities. The proposed rule will be published in the July 13 Federal Register, with comments accepted through Aug. 31.
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AHA: Policy changes key to effective health reform 07/01/2009
In an op-ed piece published by U.S. News & World Report, AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock emphasizes the need for health care reform that's based on "good policy changes - not just payment cuts." He explains: "Providing coverage to our nation's uninsured is vitally important and a goal that hospitals support strongly. And there are reforms that must take place: lasting changes that emphasize wellness and prevention; removing the barriers to hospitals, physicians, nurses, and other caregivers to working together to better coordinate care for patients; and allowing caregivers to remain focused on improving patient care ? not on navigating a complex, red tape-ridden system. And the best part about these solid policy changes is that they all have associated cost savings. These are the changes hospitals strongly support. What hospitals cannot support, and hospitals cannot sustain, are budget cuts on the magnitude of nearly a quarter trillion dollars. Cuts in the government programs that serve our nation's seniors, disabled, poor, and children to the levels that are being discussed would put in jeopardy the many services on which communities rely."
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Hospitals should begin submitting structural quality measure 07/01/2009
Hospitals participating in the Medicare pay-for-reporting program should begin reporting today whether they participate in a systematic database for cardiac surgery. Hospitals must submit data on the new structural quality measure by Aug. 15 to receive their annual payment update for fiscal year 2010 under the inpatient prospective payment system final rule for FY 2009. Instructions for hospitals and vendors submitting the data can be found on the QualityNet Web site. Hospitals that do not perform cardiac surgeries will be able to indicate that for their data submission.
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Report: Obesity rates continue to climb 07/01/2009
Adult obesity rates increased in 23 states in the past year, according to a report released today by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Mississippi had the highest rate of obese adults (32.5%) and Colorado the lowest rate (18.9%). Mississippi also had the highest rate of obese and overweight children (44.4%). Childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since 1980. "Reversing the childhood obesity epidemic is a critical ingredient for delivering a healthier population and making health reform work," said RWJF president and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D. Children with a body mass index above the 95th percentile for their age are considered obese. Adult obesity is defined as having a BMI greater than 30, about 30 pounds overweight for a 5' 4" person.
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