A terrific chart from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and Health Research Educational Trust (HRET) shows why, despite the relatively slower 5% per year growth in healthcare care costs over the past five years, consumers aren’t “feeling the love.” As documented in the KFF’s 2015 Employer Health Benefits survey published last week and reported in […] Read Article
Although these therapies have the potential of reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke for millions of people with high cholesterol, they come at significant cost to employers and the health care system. The good news is the only patients that should take PCSK9s are those who have failed statin therapy or have […] Read Article
What is the Darapin and why is there such an increase on pricing overnight? For more than 60 years, the drug Darapin has been used to treat a life-threatening parasitic infection,The New York Times reports. After Turing acquired the U.S. rights to the drug in August, the price per pill skyrocketed from $13.50 to $750. Look […] Read Article
Colorado Business Group on Health The Colorado Business Group on Health (CBGH) is an innovative non-profit organization that educates Colorado employers about what really matters in health care. Through programs, pilot projects and studies, CBGH is the voice of market-based, employer driven approaches to lowering costs and improving quality. They are also taking the […] Read Article
Fairly recently one of Longmont’s most respected and popular family practice physicians said, in several forums, “You know, I’ve been a primary care doc in this town for 25 years and I’m afraid I can’t tell you, with any real certainly, who the best specialists in town are.” Now - at least with regard […] Read Article
We shared, at a recent monthly meeting, a copy of Paul Keckley’s excellent article, The Biggest Challenge in US Healthcare – Becoming a Retail Industry. Because this is such an important article, addressing perhaps the most foundational issue in healthcare today, we wanted to point it out once more and highlight it in case you […] Read Article
This may come as no surprise if you spend any time at your local grocery store or fast food restaurant, but according to a June 22nd, Time Magazine article, a recent report in JAMA Internal Medicine, 67% of American women are overweight or obese, while 75% of men are of a similar bulk. Now, what […] Read Article
“Let’s talk about “New Rules.” No, we’re not referencing Bill Maher. The Commonwealth Fund - a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency - has posted a blog titled “New Rules to Guide Healthcare Redesign“ citing how many health system leaders say […] Read Article
In 2009, an article in the New Yorker’s Annals of Medicine attracted a great deal of attention. Titled “The Cost Conundrum: What a Texas town can teach us about healthcare,” the article called out McAllen Texas as one of the most expensive Medicare communities in the country; a community where “health costs have grown faster […] Read Article
40 Percent of Hospitals Fail to Meet National Nursing Workforce Standard A new report from The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit hospital watchdog, found that while nurses are key to providing quality hospital care, many hospitals fall short when it comes to supporting their nursing staffs. According to the report, 40 percent of hospitals reporting to […] Read Article