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Congressional Healthcare Reform: Irresistible Forces and Immovable Objects
By Walter Eisner (posted December 22, 2008)
Those who believe that Congress will move quickly and dramatically during the first days of the Obama Administration on comprehensive national healthcare reform got a cold shower on December 19.
MA Plans Bring $1.3 Billion Extra Profits to Insurers
By Walter Eisner (posted December 15, 2008)
Congress stuck another fork into the Medicare Advantage (MA) program on December 11. House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chair, Congressman Pete Stark of California, had requested an analysis from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) about the MA plans' profits for 2006.
Are MA Plans Doomed?
By Walter Eisner (posted November 28, 2008)
Two new studies published on November 24 in the journal Health Affairs, say that private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans covering about 10 million people, are increasing cost without improving care.
 Healthcare 2009: A Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste
By Walter Eisner (posted November 17, 2008)
Congress and the president-elect are promising healthcare reform for 2009. No doubt next year will be a big one for the American healthcare system. But, not everyone agrees on the prescription.
WellPoint Outsources Ortho Procedures to India
By Walter Eisner (posted November 14, 2008)
The cost of a major joint replacement or spinal fusion may become cost prohibitive for some during an economic slowdown, but if you are one of the 700 employees or dependents at Serigraph, a specialty printer based in West Bend, Wisconsin, you can soon got to India and get it done at a bargain.
Medtronic Disputes NASS’ Kyphoplasty Letter
By Walter Eisner (posted November 10, 2008)
Medtronic disputes the letter NASS (and four other spine surgeon societies) sent to Medicare. The written language was diplomatic but the body language was not. For the record, Medtronic called NASS’s characterization of kyphoplasty “somewhat out of place.” The controversy grows.
Medicare’s 5.1% Carrot for 2009
By Walter Eisner (posted November 10, 2008)
Want to add an additional 2% to your Medicare payments in 2009? In addition to the extra 2% that Medicare is paying physicians who participate in the agency's Physician Quality Reporting Initiative in 2009; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on October 31 that it would offer an additional 2% to physicians who use e-prescribing technology to deliver medication prescriptions.
Surgeon Societies Write a Letter to CMS
By Walter Eisner (posted November 4, 2008)
Did spine societies provide CMS with ammunition to reduce coverage on some spine procedures? Read what CMS wanted to know, what the societies told them and why this is critical to users of kyphoplasty, BMPs, and artificial cervical discs.
Coverage Changes for Kyphoplasty, BMPs, and Cervical Discs Discussed
By Walter Eisner (posted November 4, 2008)
CMS asked about evidence. Spine societies and companies commented on that—and more. Read the comments here in their own words.
CMS Solicits Evidence for BMP, Kyphoplasty and Other Procedures
By Walter Eisner (posted October 28, 2008)
Is BMP (Bone Morphogenetic Protein) or Kyphoplasty or cervical disc arthroplasty or fusion for degenerative disc disease supported by “adequate” medical evidence? CMS is asking the question. This is not a multiple choice quiz. The wrong answer could mean the dreaded negative National Coverage Determination letter. Here are the facts and what you should know. This is the first of three articles on this critical subject.
CMS Ablates IDET
By Robin Young (posted October 7, 2008)
Once rare in orthopedics, CMS last week issued its 5th orthopedic non-coverage decision in as many years. Amazingly, CMS says NASS started it all. Products affected include SPINECATH™, discTRODE™, SpineWand®, Accutherm™ and TransDiscal™. What happened and what does it mean?
More Patients, More Coverage for Medical Tourism
By Walter Eisner (posted October 1, 2008)
Traveling overseas may not be part of either presidential candidates' proposals to lower healthcare costs, but Americans are expected to vote with their frequent flyer miles and increase their use of off shore healthcare by eight times by 2010.
Credit Crisis Makes Candidates' Healthcare Plans Irrelevant
By Walter Eisner (posted September 29, 2008)
The government’s proposed “Mother of All Credit Rescues” has made Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s healthcare plans irrelevant. Why and what’s possible? Read here.
U.S. Med Students Shun Primary Care Medicine
By Walter Eisner (posted September 17, 2008)
Only 2% of nearly 1,200 fourth-year medical students plan to work in primary care internal medicine (IM), according to a new survey. In 1990 that number was 9%.
HHS Proposes Replacing ICD-9-CM Codes by 2011
By Walter Eisner (posted September 2, 2008)
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its proposal on August 15 to replace the current ICD-9-CM codes with an expanded ICD-10 code set by October 2011. This would increase the available codes from 17,000 to 155,000 codes.
Spine Gainsharing Through the Looking Glass
By Walter Eisner (posted August 25, 2008)
The feds have issued their first opinion allowing a spine gainsharing proposal. In Alice in Wonderland style, Through-the-Looking-Glass logic, they said the proposal was improper but would not impose sanctions. Who is the author of such a plan and what’s her secret? Read here.
The Return of Harry and Louise
By Walter Eisner (posted Auguat 21, 2008)
Harry and Louise, the slayers of Hillarycare, are back. Remember them back in 1993 sitting at their kitchen table trying to figure out the bureaucratic morass of a government health plan? This time they are demanding healthcare reform in a multimillion-dollar national advertising campaign to be aired through the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
It’s Baaaack…Comparative Effectiveness Institute Proposed
By Walter Eisner (posted Auguat 13, 2008)
The leaders in the U.S. Senate responsible for the federal budget and federal spending are teaming up to create a public-private Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute.
Surgeon Rebellion in Florida
By Walter Eisner (posted Auguat 9, 2008)
"Fortunately we live in a great country where, if citizens do not approve of what is being done, they have recourse." While not exactly Jefferson's "When in the course of human events...." but with these words, 30 rebel orthopedic surgeons in Florida, issued their own declaration of independence from a hospital administration decision to limit the vendors from whom they can purchase implants for their patients.
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Orthopedic Decisions Start Here.
