Posts Tagged ‘Future’

The Future Of Health Care

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

The Future Of Health Care

Ten years from now where will health care be? Will all Americans have health insurance? Will health care be delivered in the best way possible? Will costs be contained? No one knows for sure. But we can be the ones who shape the future of health care delivery. Right now we can be the ones who can make sure that our children and grandchildren will have fair and competitive health insurance rates, high-quality health care and the peace of mind that comes with it. I say we stop blaming and start finding solutions.

 Doctors must now become better business people. They must look for ways to become more cost efficient and deliver quality care at the same time. It is not impossible. By studying the new health care law and being up to date on all the new rules and regulations, doctors can be creative and implement cost saving measures in their own offices. Be proactive and meet challenges head on. Mary Pat Whaley, a Fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives with 25 years of experience in health care management has listed on her blog, Manage My Practice, “101 Ideas for Increasing Revenue and Decreasing Costs in Your Medical Practice”. She has great ideas to add or subtract services that can make medical offices more profitable. Does it make sense to hire a mid-level provider like a nurse practitioner or physician assistant? Can some of the administrative processes in the office be streamlined? Is there a good triage system and medical follow-up in place? Search the internet, get advice from a tax consultant and discuss with other physicians ways to be more cost efficient.

 Private health insurance companies must also be responsible. As a society, we have to be the ones to demand quality care at a quality price. We can no longer allow them to price gouge and then turn around and disallow medical benefits that are medically necessary. Shop around for the best rate and policy if you are purchasing private health insurance. Contact your local state representative and voice your opinion about health insurance company practices. If you are an employee who receives health benefits from your employer, know that all employees have a voice in the decision making process regarding their health insurance. Make sure your employer knows your opinion.

 Patients have to be informed about their own health. That responsibility has to be shouldered too. You cannot go into your doctor’s office demanding certain tests and procedures be performed. It is a joint decision between you and your doctor on what is appropriate and necessary. Health care costs cannot be controlled if everyone demands tests or procedures that are not medically necessary. That is just not cost effective and it is irresponsible. If you are a smoker or overweight, you will probably pay more in premiums. It is only fair as those things are a lifestyle choice. Do what you need to do to live a healthy lifestyle. It will not only add years to your life but will aid you financially.

All of us have a responsibility to reform health care. Don’t let the ranting and rhetoric from news media and politicians deter you from making the effort to make change. Approach health care reform in a positive, constructive way to promote positive change and we can all benefit.

 

Terri Richards is a nurse consultant who is passionate about educating medical office staff and radiology staff about the prior authorization process for advanced imaging to ensure the patient gets the right test at the right time.

Visit my blog at: http://priorauthorizationtraining.blogspot.com/ to learn more!

 


Article from articlesbase.com

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Predicting Your Future Health – New Ways To Deliver Health-care

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Predicting Your Future Health – New Ways To Deliver Health-care

Predictive Health-care may not be a household term quite yet, but basically this new, emerging way of delivering health-care in the US focuses on predicting health and its risk factors, as opposed to waiting for disease to begin. Predictive Health-care delivery is by no means a niche market idea in the realm of Alternative Medicine, a feasibility study has been published by a mainstream institution: Emory University Predictive Health Initiative. It alludes to the many advantages including cost savings.

The Change to “Measuring Health” before Discovering Disease

Health is commonly defined as the absence of disease symptoms, and it is disease symptoms that are commercially relevant. In fact, today’s Health-care systems are all set-up to measure disease, we are searching for what’s wrong, not what’s right. However, physical symptoms are evidence of the last stage in the progression of an Illness which originated much earlier. Thus, the purpose of Preventive- or Predictive Health is to identify any sign of degradation in the “whole Health”, usually referred to as Holistic Health and what is perceived as Vitality. Whole Health consists of the 6 interweaving elements: Physical – Mental – Emotional – Spiritual – Social – Intellectual Health. As Physical Illness is usually the final manifestation of an Emotional Trauma, treating the Physical Symptom is only a temporary fix. In the attempt to forestall Physical Illness we need to identify the potential cause for the loss of Vitality – and Lifestyle is the usual culprit. By Lifestyle we mean the person’s intentional choices such as Nutrition and Activities, and circumstantial factors, such as Environmental Exposure, History, Believes, Social Integration, etc.

Conventional Health-care is not concerned with these intertwining Mind-Body issues, because the medical science consensus neither extends to analytical methods nor the interpretation of results. The generally accepted medical standard for diagnosing disease rests on sample collection, which can be reduced to numerical values, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat, bone density and various biomarkers.

In Predictive Health such samples and methods may be used, but in presumed healthy people, these “disease markers” just resemble a snap shot of a condition at the time of sample collection. If all results check out in the “Normal” range, a person is considered physically healthy, even when all 5 non-physical health elements are compromised. In such case, a physical symptom has just not yet established itself measurably.

Holistic Health or Vitality may be defined as the sum of all 6-elements that comprise whole Health. A person, who has been clinically classified as physically healthy, may however completely lack Vitality, if any of the non-physical elements is weakened; while we may perceive a person to have great Vitality, if all health elements are strong and in harmony.

What is needed is a process that measures Vitality as the sum of all Health elements. As Vitality is a highly volatile condition, we cannot solely rely on static samples to predict a person’s susceptibility to contract any disease, nor can we recommend a Nutritional concept or Lifestyle modification based on static numericals, such as cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose and insulin. Instead, we have to dynamically monitor how well a person copes with lifestyle specific conditions that include various degrees of stress and rest, and we have to measure cellular function under changing situations. We want to assess the wear and tear that the body has undergone to date.

These Test results incorruptibly and reproducibly portray a person’s immunity, strengths and vulnerabilities . When correlated with the person’s history, lifestyle and personal objectives, a Lifestyle optimization program (behavior modification) can be generated that does not rely on lifetime prescription drugs.

Predictive Health – a quantum leap in Health-care

The passionate debates on Health-care reform are far from over and will not come to a consensus as long as it is wholly focused on pharmaceuticals based symptoms fixing, all while people get more concerned about their sustained Health.

A Japanese “Attitude Survey on Health and Preparation” (November 1, 2010; Hello-Global.com) states that 69.4% of the respondents “are worried about their future health”. There are more indications of people’s concerns about their future Health: In the US we are seeing sustained increase in growth rates for Organic Foods even in a recession. The statistics furnish the evidence that people are awaking to the fact that protecting health is better than recovering from illness. The leading market research and information analysis company RNCOS Press Release of October 29, 2010 reveals that the US Organic Food Industry will orchestrate 12.2% CAGR during 2010-2014. North American market growth for Organic Personal Care products amounts to 20% annually, according to Organic Monitor.

“Even in the midst of the economic downturn, the Gym, Health & Fitness Clubs industry has maintained steady growth, with membership rates growing consistently and profits remaining solid. Demand for gyms and health and fitness clubs will continue to rise over the next five years, as the general public becomes more health conscious and the aging population places a greater value on staying fit” – According to IBIS World Industry Report of September 17, 2010. Merriman Curhan Ford, Fitness & Wellness Industry Report predicts US sales of Health and Wellness goods to reach $ 170 billion by 2012, a growth of 70% in 5 years. Gym memberships for people over 50 will rise even more dramatic over the next 10 years with a target market potential of 139.2 million people by 2020; according to Capital Connection, March 2010 Newsletter. The Nutritional Supplements market in the US will exceed billion in 2014, yielding a compound annual growth rate of 7%; says Market Resaearch.com, in the September 2, 2010 Press Release.

These trend numbers clearly portray the global shift to Preventive Health, lead by the US which boasts the highest Health-care costs in the world. If we are truly concerned about our future health, evidenced by spending substantial money for healthy food and lifestyle, it should come naturally that we can no longer rely on drug-centric sick-care, but opt for Predictive and Preventive care.

Heinz R Gisel is a Nutrition, Beauty Concepts and Medical Devices Innovator, based in  California and Tokyo. He is the Founder of Vitality Concepts Corporation, VitalityXpress Predictive Health Concepts and Doctors 4 Vitality Clinics, LLC. He developed a novel, non-invasive analysis system that predict health challenges before any symptoms occur. He believes that Nutrients belong into food and beverages and not capsules and pills and he has global patents on such nutritional deficiency analysis and cell-resonant nutrition delivery systems. He is an author, radio host and public speaker, his latest book is: \\\\”In Foodture We Trust – Nutrition for Body and Soul in Times Of Troubles\\\\”, Xulon Press, 2009; ISBN 978-1607912651. http://www.vitalityconcepts.com/ and http://www.vitalityXpress.com


Article from articlesbase.com

Individual Health Insurance Reform Future Proceedings Easy To Insure Me

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Individual Health Insurance Reform Future Proceedings Easy To Insure Me

MARCH 26, 2010

This Week in Health Care Reform     

Health care reform legislation passed the House this week on a party-line vote. Late Sunday night, House Democrats approved the Senate health care reform package, sending the legislation to President Obama for his signature. On Tuesday, President Obama signed the underlying bill into law, yet the House has yet to finalize the package of “fixes” that will alter the final implications of the legislation.

Health Care Reform Negotiations

House Democrats Pass Health Care Reform Package: The House of Representatives approved the Senate health care reform bill Sunday night by a vote of 219 to 212. The vote marks the climactic finale to a year-long debate over health care reform. In the final vote, 34 Democrats joined all House Republicans in voting against the measure. Shortly thereafter, the House also passed a package of “fixes,” by a vote of 220-211, that was sent directly to the Senate for its approval through reconciliation. On Tuesday, President Obama signed into law the Senate health care reform bill, called the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”

Republicans Force Senate to Send the Reconciliation Bill Back to the House: Shortly after the President signed the Senate bill into law, Senators began deliberations on the reconciliation bill. Reconciliation protocol restricts Senators to 20 hours of debate on the measure, but it does not limit the number of amendments that can be filed. In an expression of opposition to the bill, Republicans filed 29 amendments to the reconciliation package.

After 10 hours of continuous debate, Republicans were successful in eliminating two provisions related to college financial aid in the non-health care portion of the bill. The Senate parliamentarian ruled early Thursday morning that those two provisions violated the chamber’s rules, sending the legislation back to the House for a new vote. As a result, on Thursday afternoon, the Senate voted on the reconciliation bill without those two provisions and sent the bill  back to the House for a vote on final passage. The House vote will likely come Thursday evening.

What Does This Health Care Reform Legislation Mean: While the health care reform bill extends insurance coverage to 32 million more Americans by 2019, the legislation has other far-reaching implications that will be phased in sooner, during a multi-year implementation period.

Several features of the new health care overhaul bill that would take effect in 2010 under the measure passed Sunday include:

* New product requirements beginning 6 months after enactment, including:
o Coverage for dependents up to age 26
o No lifetime maximum benefit limits
o And no cost sharing on preventive care for certain policyholders
* Temporary federal high risk pools;
* Tax credits for small employers; and
* Prohibition on pre-existing condition exclusions for children (beginning 6 months after enactment).

Most Americans will have until 2014 to purchase insurance or pay a penalty. Other elements of the bill that will not take effect until at least 2014 include insurance marketplaces called “exchanges”; rules requiring insurers to accept all applicants regardless of pre-existing conditions, and an expansion of state Medicaid programs.

A number of experts question whether health care reform will really drive down insurance premiums. America’s Health Insurance Plans ( AHIP), the trade group representing health insurers, outlines a series of concerns related to the legislation including a lack of provisions that address underlying health care costs, improve quality of care or ensure a stable risk pool. In addition, AHIP expressed concerns regarding new taxes on health coverage, which will likely increase premiums.

Additional Activities

Obama’s Executive Order on Abortion Funding: On Sunday afternoon, prior to the final House vote on health care reform, President Obama agreed to issue an Executive Order that would uphold the ban on federal funding for abortion . In so doing, he secured about a half-dozen votes from anti-abortion Democrats, led by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), who previously opposed the legislation. On Wednesday, President Obama signed the Executive Order banning the government from spending federal money to pay for abortions through plans offered on the insurance exchanges created under the measure.

States Filing Lawsuit to Fight Provision of Health Care Reform Bill: In response to the new health care reform legislation, states across the country have filed lawsuits asking the courts to declare the law unconstitutional and to bar its enforcement. On Monday,Attorneys General in 13 states, led by Florida, filed a joint lawsuit claiming that the new health care reforms violate state government rights in the U.S. Constitution and will force massive new spending on hard-pressed state governments. Joining Florida in the suit are Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.

At the same time, the Attorney General in Virginia filed a separate suit contending that Congress has exceeded its power in mandating that people buy health insurance. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli argues that the new law’s requirement clashes with Virginia law that exempts citizens from federal fines imposed for not having health insurance.

Senate Voting to Extend COBRA Until May 5:  Senate Democrats plan another short-term extension of unemployment aid this week, setting up a face-off with Republicans, who are vowing to fight the extension if the billion cost isn’t offset with spending cuts. The bill, currently set to expire on April 5, would extend a series of emergency programs – including funding for unemployment insurance benefits and COBRA health coverage for the jobless  – and would hold off a deep cut in reimbursement rates for doctors who serve Medicare patients. The long-term extension has already passed in both the House and Senate, but the two measures are not expected to be reconciled and sent to the President’s desk until after the Easter recess.

President Obama Heads to Iowa to Speak on Health Care: President Obama headed to Iowa on Thursday to increase support for his health care legislation. This was President Obama’sfirst trip out ofWashington since signing health care reform legislation earlier this week. He spoke at the University of Iowa, in the city where he first announced his health care proposal during the Presidential campaign.

Public Opinion

Most Americans Want Republicans to Fight Health Care Reform Bill: In a recent CBS News poll, 62 percent of Americans said they want congressional Republicans to continue challenging the bill, while 33 percent said they should not. Disapproval of the bill has remained steady, with 46 percent saying they disapprove, including 32 percent who “strongly” disapprove. A majority of Americans continue to say that they find the bill to be confusing and do not understand what it means for them or their family.

American’s Split on Health Care Reform Passage: In a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, 42 percent of Americans said they were angry or disappointed with the recent passage of health care reform legislation. When asked to reveal party affiliation, 79 percent identified themselves as Republicans.

Polling Shows Support for State Lawsuits Against Government: National polling reveals significant opposition to the individual mandate. In a newly released Rasmussen report , 53 percent of those polled oppose the new mandate requiring every American to buy or obtain health insurance. Further, 49 percent of voters are in favor of their state suing the federal government to fight the mandate. Fifty-one percent say individual states should have the right to opt out of the health care plan entirely.

Looking Ahead

After this week’s final health care reform vote, President Obama plans to travel the country in the next few months to discuss the new law. Republicans have begun their own discussions of the law, with an eye towards the November elections.

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