Future of Health CareMerit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)Value-Based Health Care
December 20, 2016

New Year’s Prediction: More Cost Sharing for Patients Means Problems for Providers

A year ago we reported on the trend in shifting health care costs to the consumer through higher deductibles, copayments and premium sharing. Fast forward to 2017: expect to see “financial accountability” for patients vastly increase, as health care costs continue their relentless rise and the public policies that support premium subsidies, Obamacare, Medicare and Medicaid expansion, research and innovative provider-based models are weakened or reversed. In general, the politics of the moment are ushering in simple economic concepts: Reduce the complexity, cap costs, minimize bureaucracy. When government or employers contemplate giving patients a fixed contribution for health care, possibly through…
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Future of Health CarePatient EmpowermentResearch
December 6, 2016

A Populist’s Wish List for Patient Empowerment

Health care turmoil of the last 10 years was wild enough, but the ride ahead promises to be even wilder. News and social media are swirling with proposals to “reset” health care. Among the dizzying array of possible scenarios, one idea is gaining traction: patient “empowerment.” It will, without doubt, be a prominent call-to-arms in the months ahead. But, what exactly is patient empowerment? The newly branded concepts presented in health care proposals are murky and incorporate everything from patient responsibility for lifestyle changes and following treatment plans (patient “compliance”) to greater financial responsibility for health care (shared premiums). Patient…
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