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Category Archives: Health Care

Senator Donnelly co-sponsors bill exempting volunteer fire departments from health care law – Video

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Senator Donnelly co-sponsors bill exempting volunteer fire departments from health care law
Senator Donnelly is co-sponsoring a bill called the Protect Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act. It will exempt volunteer fire departments fr...

By: WANE NewsChannel 15

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Senator Donnelly co-sponsors bill exempting volunteer fire departments from health care law - Video

Jon Karl to WH: Is Anybody Going to Buy Health Care Because Barack O’ Breezy Tells Them To? – Video

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Jon Karl to WH: Is Anybody Going to Buy Health Care Because Barack O #39; Breezy Tells Them To?
Jon Karl to WH: Is Anybody Going to Buy Health Care Because Barack O #39; Breezy Tells Them To? December 17, 2013 http://www.FreeBeacon.com.

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Jon Karl to WH: Is Anybody Going to Buy Health Care Because Barack O' Breezy Tells Them To? - Video

Health Care Analytics Expands as Business Intelligence Struggles

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The global market for health care analytics is predicted to expand at a compound annual growth rate of over 25 percent through 2020. While predictive and prescriptive analytics get a boost in the health industry, many other market sectors struggle to bring business intelligence (BI) back to importance. What is the secret for midsize IT professionals to get real value out of big data analysis?

Solid Support

Part of the reason for strong growth in the health analytics sector comes from the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, according to a December 19 iHealthBeat article, but that is only part of the story. Reporting on a recent MarketsandMarkets study, the article notes that while Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments are one factor in analytics adoption, the rise of health information exchanges and accountable care organizations are just as important. In other words, the health care industry is not only collecting data, but also making an effort to best use patient information.

Predictive and prescriptive analytics in both the United States and Asia will see a global boost spurred by increasing venture capital investments. The market should be worth $21 billion in 2020, up almost 500 percent from the current $4.4-billion valuation. What this means for midsize IT professionals is that the value of reliable analytics is getting noticed and funded. Too many companies, however, struggle with data; collection is easy, but analysis can be a challenge.

Start from the Top

A recent Forbes article talks about what companies actually need to make the most of data analytics, and it starts at the top. First, CEOs and other members of the C-suite need to be aware of how much a comprehensive analytics program will cost. In some cases, the price may be $1 million a year or higher. Perhaps more important is the need to fully commit; incomplete analytics yields incomplete results with little to no actionable value. Acquiring data is only 10 percent of this total cost, similar to the cost of developing appropriate data-sharing channels. The largest cost is in the middle: 80 percent of the price goes toward analysis. However, great analysis alone is not enough. Executives have a bad habit of ignoring the information they receive from IT professionals, choosing to go with their instincts instead.

One goal for IT professionals is to become analytics advocates who can articulate the need for BI dollars and deliver clear return on investment (ROI) plans that showcase how the money earmarked for data analysis will yield relevant and timely results. In addition, access is critical. As the Forbes article notes, one stumbling block to effective analytics is the lack of access to information at the different levels of an organization. To begin to trust data, C-suite executives need easy access and corresponding explanations from IT administrators; information analysis must be both seen and heard.

Health care analytics is on track for substantial growth as the demand for predictive and prescriptive solutions outstrips current BI solutions. Midsize companies also find themselves looking for better BI to compete in an evolving global market. To secure the necessary funding and support, IT professionals need full C-suite backing while executives need to understand the value of going all in.

This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

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Health Care Analytics Expands as Business Intelligence Struggles

First Thoughts: Another 11th-hour health-care change

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Another health-care delay Listing all the delays Obama heads to Hawaii, but dont be surprised if we hear from him first Republicans again dealing with immigration and gay rights A busy next two months And the top 10 races of 2014 to watch.

By Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro

*** Another 11th-hour health-care change:Fearing that the number of people who lose coverage could match the number who sign up for insurance this year, the administration announced a new grandfather clause Thursday night: People who received cancellation notices for their policy but are not eligible for subsidies can use the laws hardship exemption to buy a bare-bones plan. Also, the administration announced these folks will NOT get hit with a tax penalty this year if they do not have insurance by Jan. 1, NBCs Maggie Fox reports. This is just the latest of several delays and extensions offered by the administration (some items listed below). The insurance industry behind the scenes is panicking over this, thinking it will affect their cost estimates, warning that it could increase costs and could mean higher prices eventually. This is just the latest in a series of rules changes the administration has put into place as criticism of the implementation has heated up. Heres a quick list of just some of the delays put in place this year:

REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman

The federal government forms for applying for health coverage are seen at a rally held by supporters of the Affordable Care Act, widely referred to as "Obamacare", outside the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center in Jackson, Mississippi October 4, 2013.

And thats in addition to the delayed sign up deadline that slid eight days (Dec. 15-23), the extended sign ups until March 31, 2014, open enrollment being pushed back into November, as well as the web sites back-end delays, the Spanish-language site delay, and the essentially two-month delayed functional launch of HealthCare.gov. Serious question: will there be a single uninsured American in 2014 who will end up paying the mandate penalty?

*** Wanna get away? All that could make the person in charge of this law and whose legacy rests on its implementation want to book a flight and get out of town for the holidays. President Obama is doing just that tonight when he leaves for Hawaii at 6:45 pm ET. He does not return to Washington until Jan. 5th. It would be surprising if we didnt hear from him one more time before he leaves. There is no doubt the president cant wait for 2013 to be in the books, easily his most troubled year politically. And now most of his vacation, if hes focused on work, itll be health care, so admin officials told reporters yesterday. There will be regularly updates provided to the president regarding signups. Ironically, while the president has had a terrible year politically, the economy continues to slowly and steadily improve. The economy grew at a 4.1% annual rate, according to GDP numbers out this morning, up from the 3.6% reported earlier this month. Thats the fastest pace in nearly two years. By the way, Steve Harveys interview with President Obama airs at 3 pm ET today.

*** What do Republican presidential hopefuls do about immigration? Gov. Chris Christie (R) struck a deal with the state legislature yesterday on a bill that allows in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. He promised to do this during his campaign. It wasnt clear that he would go through with it, but he did. In-state tuition was an issue in 2012 for Rick Perry, and nearly sunk John McCains presidential aspirations in 2008. By the way, this could be a dividing line issue for Christie with another governor, who wants to make the case that he can appeal to moderates Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. In 2011, Walker stripped out in-state tuition rates for children of undocumented immigrants, something that had been put in there in 2009 by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, per NBCs Vaughn Hillyard. Of course, the wild card here is what do presidentials do if the GOP-controlled House tackles some similar immigration measures next year? Secretly, every GOPer running in 2016 would love nothing more than for the House Republicans to simply get this issue out of the way for them.

***Conservatives dont Duck this fight: From one thorny GOP issue to another To us, that Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty saying something controversial/offensiveisnt political news, or that its political news he got suspended from A&E for saying it. After all, plenty of celebrities -- conservative or liberal -- say controversial/offensive things all the time and they usually get some slap on the wrist. But what IS political news is when prominent politicians swoop in to defend the controversial/offensive comments. Here wasLouisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R): The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with. I don't agree with quite a bit of stuff I read in magazine interviews or see on TV. In fact, come to think of it, I find a good bit of it offensive. But I also acknowledge that this is a free country and everyone is entitled to express their views. (Of course, companies are also entitled to fire/suspend their employees, too.) And here was Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) onTwitter:If you believe in free speech or religious liberty, you should be deeply dismayed over treatment of Phil Robertson. But the real reason why this is a story is that the Jindal-Cruz comments go precisely against the RNCs autopsy recommendations. On messaging, we must change our tone especially on certain social issues that are turning off young voters, the RNC report said.These comments may feel good in the moment and appeal to the base (something certainly Jindal needs to do with sagging poll numbers). But thats all this is talking to. And it reinforces the problems Republicans have with swing voters when it comes to these issues. Thats the danger here. Republicans have three choices on things like this denounce, support, or say nothing. The safest thing for most of them is to say nothing.

*** Look at the busy couple of months ahead -- Some upcoming political dates to circle on your calendars:

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First Thoughts: Another 11th-hour health-care change

Health care is government’s responsibility: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

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Hyderabad: Asserting that providing good health care is one of the major responsibilities of the government,Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan today hailed the national health service in Britain.

"Health care is one of the responsibilities of a government. One thing that we in Britain are proud of is the national health service. The poorest person in Britain gets the same treatment that a senior scientist at the MRC gets. There is no preference, I don't get pushed ahead in line. I have to wait my turn," the Indian-born scientist said.

"There used to be public health care in India. But somehow, it is deteriorated. I have not lived here. So, I don't know. But, this is just what I hear," said Ramakrishnan, who works at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.

He was speaking to reporters after delivering a lecture on "Antibiotics and the Cell's Protein Factory" at CSIR-Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB) here.

To a question, he said he cannot offer any suggestions on social health care for India, as he had not lived here, but there was no dearth of talented health care professionals in the country, and they should be consulted.

"There are hundreds, thousands of superb, dedicated Indian health professionals at the top medical schools, people who work in the field... These are people who have ideas, they should be asked what the solutions are... There is no shortage of excellent people here," he said.

He also spoke about the need for rational use of antibiotics, and favoured regulation of over the counter sale of medicines. "It should be only prescription-based," he said.

Preventive medicine was more cost-effective than later treatment, he added.

Ramakrishnan, who received Nobel Prize for Chemistry along with two others in 2009 for "studies of the structure and function of the ribosome", said that understanding how ribosomes of humans differ from ribosomes of bacteria and other related aspects are important issues.

"Ribosomes don't make all proteins at the same rate. Some proteins are made very efficiently. So, this process called translational regulation, when a proteins made, how much are made. This idea of how ribosomes are regulated, at which point they make things, that is a big step.

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Health care is government's responsibility: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

‘Health Care Is Govt’s Responsibility’

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Asserting that providing good health care is one of the major responsibilities of the government, Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan today hailed the national health service in Britain.

"Health care is one of the responsibilities of a government. One thing that we in Britain are proud of is the national health service. The poorest person in Britain gets the same treatment that a senior scientist at the MRC gets. There is no preference, I don't get pushed ahead in line. I have to wait my turn," the Indian-born scientist said.

"There used to be public health care in India. But somehow, it is deteriorated. I have not lived here. So, I don't know. But, this is just what I hear," said Ramakrishnan, who works at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.

He was speaking to reporters after delivering a lecture on "Antibiotics and the Cell's Protein Factory" at CSIR-Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB) here.

To a question, he said he cannot offer any suggestions on social health care for India, as he had not lived here, but there was no dearth of talented health care professionals in the country, and they should be consulted.

"There are hundreds, thousands of superb, dedicated Indian health professionals at the top medical schools, people who work in the field. These are people who have ideas, they should be asked what the solutions are. There is no shortage of excellent people here," he said.

He also spoke about the need for rational use of antibiotics, and favoured regulation of over the counter sale of medicines. "It should be only prescription-based," he said.

Preventive medicine was more cost-effective than later treatment, he added.

Asked about further discoveries in ribosomes, Ramakrishnan, who received Nobel Prize for Chemistry along with two others in 2009 for "studies of the structure and function of the ribosome", said that understanding how ribosomes of humans differ from ribosomes of bacteria and other related aspects are important issues.

"Ribosomes don't make all proteins at the same rate. Some proteins are made very efficiently. So, this process called translational regulation, when a proteins made, how much are made. This idea of how ribosomes are regulated, at which point they make things, that is a big step.

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'Health Care Is Govt's Responsibility'

Big Data Analytics and Health Care Innovation

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Big data analytics is playing a larger role in health care, and that is changing the way in which the industry is approaching patient care and research. A new report revealed that health care leaders believe big data will have a significant and positive impact on their businesses. The lessons that they are learning parallel the experiences of midsize firms as they seek to gain greater insight into the increasing amounts of data accumulated each day.

Big Data Good for Business

According to a new study by the Society of Actuaries (SOA), more than 87 percent of health care leaders said that big data will have an important impact on the business of health care. The results, featured in the CloudTimes, also found that 66 percent of leaders are happy about the potential of big data, and more than half believe that there is a business benefit to implementing big data in their information infrastructures.

The biggest hurdle cited by executives is to effectively apply big data to health care delivery. According to the report, the insight gained has been useful, but executives want to extract greater meaning from the data and to see more of an impact. The health care industry also faces the challenge of finding and hiring staff with expertise in the optimization of big data. There is a significant need for IT professionals with big data know-how, and the report found that 45 percent of health care companies are planning to hire energetically in 2014.

Midsize Insight

Applying big data analytics is a significant undertaking for any organization. IT professionals at midsize firms around the world, as also in the health care industry, are seeking solutions that make the most of the deluge of data with which they are confronted on a daily basis. As technologies such as the cloud and virtualization become commonplace, both structured and unstructured data will pile up as never before. For firms that want to remain at their most productive, big data solutions are a worthy investment.

Health care companies and midsize firms across industries value the security of their data. Health care data can be particularly sensitive, and certain compliance requirements need to be met. Most midsize firms cannot afford a data breach that could compromise their bottom line. Smart security measures targeted to a firm's specific needs are key to maintaining a big data solution that can empower executives to make more informed decisions.

The SOA study found that health care firms are struggling to recruit personnel to tackle big data projects, and midsize firms face similar struggles. Smaller companies have fewer resources, and they likely do not have the expert staff on hand to execute a big data implementation. As a result, they count on trusted partners to offer solutions that target their specific goals.

Midsize Demand

Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) benefit from partnering with a vendor that understands how their needs differ from those of enterprise. SMBs are constrained by limited resources, personnel and budget and cannot afford to make mistakes. As a result, they demand a quick return on investment (ROI). Midsize firms should implement well-researched methods to organize data and integrate analytics throughout their infrastructures.

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Big Data Analytics and Health Care Innovation

Health care workers honored for their in-home service to patients

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DECATUR Joe Skelley understands the importance of his job as service coordinator for the DMH Home Health Care Services.

You see them (patients and their families) in some happy times and some sad times, he said. Sometimes youre the only one they get to see every day.

To some, it may not seem like a very rewarding job, but spiritually and emotionally it is, Skelley said. It makes you feel blessed for the things that you have, especially with the folks that you meet and the things they are going through.

In appreciation of their employees, the DMH Home Health Care Services will be celebrating Home Healthcare, Hospice and Palliative Care Month during November. The national observance was created to honor home healthcare caregivers who deal first-hand with the good and the bad days that the patients and their families face in times of illness.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month, nurses, therapists, counselors and equipment personnel employed through the service will be treated to special refreshments and an ice cream social. The team will also be treated to a Thanksgiving meal later in the month.

Patients arent staying in the hospital very long, said Julie Malone, a registered wound care nurse. So we are going into the homes to take care of them.

Home health caregivers provide assistance in various ways. Patients receive specialized care such as medical assistance, counseling and therapy.

We get to develop a relationship not only with the patient but with the family, said Michelle Johnson, Home Health Services Administrative Director. It is a privilege and an honor to care for these people. We always want to live up to that level of trust, Johnson said.

Many home health workers say they find their job fulfilling in ways they had not expected. For instance, although hospice is known for the care given at the end of life, employees appreciate the relationships they build with patients and families.

What you are doing for the family, you are leading them through the most difficult times in their lives, said Hospice and Palliative Care Manager, Karen Hood. It is very rewarding.

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Health care workers honored for their in-home service to patients

Washington health care site misquoted some applicants by $100 per month

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OLYMPIA, Wash.

About 8,000 people who applied for subsidized health care through the Washington health benefit exchange during October were quoted the wrong premiums.

The website is one of 16 sites run by states that set up their own health care exchange as part of the Affordable Health Care Act. People in the remaining states can log onto the federal website.

Due to the system error on the Washington site, people needed to pay on average $100 more per month in premiums than originally quoted.

However, no payments have been accepted yet. Many will pay their first bill in December.

Michael Marchand, the director of communications for the state health care exchange, said that the state was filing certain information as monthly, when the federal system was reading it as annually.

We had two different file formats talking, between what we do here at the state and what was done at the federal government level, Marchand said.

The error was more likely to affect middle-income applicants who qualify for some subsidies. Those who make less than $33,000 for a family of four would qualify for free, expanded Medicaid and would not have encountered this problem.

It could have happened for a variety of reasons. Were not really sure about that. What I think was impressive on our end was that we identified it, Marchand said.

The ability to identify and resolve the issue within 24 hours is in part due to the fact that Washington has been successful in enrolling more people than most states. Only California and New York have enrolled more people through their health care exchanges.

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Washington health care site misquoted some applicants by $100 per month

Health care enrollment through federal website: just 27,000

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By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Laurie Kellman

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Putting a statistic on disappointment, the Obama administration revealed Wednesday that fewer than 27,000 people signed up for private health insurance last month in the 36 states relying on a problem-filled federal website.

States running their own enrollment systems did better, signing up more than 79,000, for a total enrollment of over 106,000.

Still, that was barely one-fifth of the nearly 500,000 people administration officials had projected would sign up the first month of Obama's signature program, a numerical rebuke to the administration's ability to deliver on its promise. The 106,185 people who made it all the way through to selecting a plan represent just 1.5 percent of the 7 million people the administration hopes to enroll by next year.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said things will get better, and quickly. "There is no doubt the level of interest is strong," she said.

The administration said an additional 1 million or so applicants have been found eligible for government-subsidized private coverage in new state-level insurance markets, and about half are within sight of having their plans lined up for the start of next year. An additional 396,000 have been found eligible for Medicaid, the safety-net program that is shaping up as the health care law's early success story.

The numbers landed amid a political storm on Capitol Hill. Democrats who had hoped to run for re-election next year on the success of the health care law are increasingly worried.

It's not only the website woes, but a wave of cancellation notices hitting constituents whose individual health insurance policies don't measure up to the law's requirements. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has scheduled an all-Democrats meeting Thursday with White House health care officials.

The administration has staked its credibility on turning the website around by the end of this month. From the president on down, officials have said that HealthCare.gov will be running smoothly for the vast majority of users by Nov. 30.

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Health care enrollment through federal website: just 27,000


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