Archive for June, 2009
Hospital Charges vs. Costs
by admin on Jun.26, 2009, under Healthcare, Technology
As the President of Sentry Data Systems I am focused on creating products with Hard Dollar return which require no Consulting to implement.
Matching actual procurement activity to billing activity is critical for establishing visibility into the financial operations of any hospital. The new module available in Sentinel RCM Claims Guardian(TM) leverages our core business intelligence platform that enables end-to-end data capture which is essential to managing the revenue cycle and illuminate important components of claims activity. Providing our hospitals key contract performance indicators will provide an invaluable tool to serve as a basis for renegotiation of payor contracts.
Sentry’s products are designed to put hospital management in control of their environment by giving them the tools they need to act immediately.
Management’s time is valuable, and I believe that automation is the answer.
PhRMA agrees to $80 billion in savings for patients in the Medicare Part D doughnut hole.
by admin on Jun.22, 2009, under Uncategorized
(6/21, Gaouette, Johnston) reported that the arrangement “shrinks the so-called doughnut hole in Medicare’s prescription-drug program. The companies will discount as much as 50 percent of the cost of brand-name medicines, according to PhRMA, the Washington- based industry trade group that represents such drugmakers.” Click here
Senate HELP Committee doing their part!
by admin on Jun.19, 2009, under Healthcare, Political
”The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions [HELP] Committee” started work on its healthcare overhaul bill Thursday. They’ve approved 17 amendments among the 300 plus proposed.
Oh Goody! The US Senate health plan says they want to keep health care reform down to the low low cost of a Trillion dollars!
by admin on Jun.19, 2009, under Healthcare, News, Political
AP (6/19, Espo, Werner) reports that “key Senate Democrats, bidding for bipartisan support on healthcare, pared back subsidies designed to make insurance more affordable on Thursday.” The current Senate Finance Committee proposal “requires most individuals to purchase coverage and forbids insurance companies from denying it on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions.” Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) “has said he intends to hold the cost of the legislation to about $1 trillion. Click here for full story
WHO elevates H1N1 to pandemic level
by admin on Jun.12, 2009, under Healthcare, News, Swine Flu
The (6/12, A5, Esterl, subscription required) reports, “The World Health Organization declared the first flu pandemic in 41 years, even as it stressed there are no signs the H1N1 virus has turned more lethal as it spreads across the globe.” The declaration “requires countries not yet exposed to the new influenza strain to roll out pandemic-prevention plans and step up monitoring efforts. It also will likely accelerate efforts to develop a vaccine, expected to take several months.” Although Dr. Margaret Chan, the director-general of the WHO, said the “overwhelming majority” of those diagnosed with H1N1 have “experienced mild symptoms and recovered quickly without medical treatment,” she also “warned that the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, is likely to continue to spread and that it could turn more virulent or affect populations differently.”
Obama: IT is still a critical part of healthcare reform
by admin on Jun.08, 2009, under Healthcare, Technology
Obama: IT is still a critical part of healthcare reform June 04, 2009 | Bernie Monegain, Editor
In a letter sent Tuesday to Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.), President Barack Obama reiterated his commitment to promoting the use of information technology as a means of reducing healthcare costs. Obama said the White House is also determined to go after “the key drivers of skyrocketing healthcare costs, including unmanaged chronic diseases, duplicated tests and unnecessary hospital readmissions.” click here for full article
