Blogs

Prevention Fund Cut by $5 Billion to Pay for Temporary SGR Fix

On Friday afternoon, both the House and Senate approved and sent the President the Conference Report for the Payroll Tax bill.  The legislation included a temporary patch to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule preventing for 10 months a pending 27% cut in payment rates to physicians under Medicare.  Unfortunately, much of the “pay for” came at the sacrifice of the Prevention and Public Health Fund – to the tune of $5 billion. 

With Health Care Spending Still on the Rise, Payment Models Begin to Change

Earlier this week, Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Wally Herger (R-CA) held a hearing on delivery system reforms that reward physicians who deliver high quality and efficient care.  At a time when our health care spending accounts for an overwhelming majority of the nation’s $3.7 trillion national deficit, the hearing was a rare, welcomed moment of bipartisan agreement in an environment otherwise fraught with partisan tension.

Improving Quality of Life for People with Chronic Diseases

February 9, 2012

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) last week issued a report on the growing impact of chronic diseases in the United States and how the incidence of these highly manageable and largely preventable conditions are approaching “crisis proportions.”  Not only are they costly – the medical care costs of people afflicted with chronic diseases represent 75 percent of the $2 trillion in U.S. annual health care spending – but for those who suffer with them they are compromising the ability to live well.

New Studies Lend Further Support for PFCD Initiatives

Recognizing the large savings that can result from even the most seemingly small improvements in health outcomes, we at the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) were encouraged by this week’s news developments that lend support to the kinds of reform we advocate for on a daily basis.

Evidence Based Care Coordination CAN Work in Medicare

January 31, 2012

In light of the recent summary from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), “Lessons from Medicare's Demonstration Projects on Disease Management, Care Coordination, and Value-Based Payment” there has been some short-sighted reporting on the findings of the demonstrations that have left some impressions that I feel need correcting. The solid and growing evidence base around care coordination - the vast majority of which was not included in CBO's document - shows that well-designed programs do work to both improve outcomes and lower costs.

Small Improvements Translate into Big Savings

January 30, 2012

Working off the momentum the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease gained last year, one of our focal points for 2012 will continue to be on finding and promoting ways to achieve better health outcomes for the chronically ill. 

Viewpoints on Health Care Reform around the Debates

January 25, 2012

As everyone gears up for an exciting presidential campaign year, health care reform continues to play a major role in the news and conversations this week due to the ongoing struggle candidates, lawmakers and policy analysts face in battling our national $2.7 trillion deficit and mounting debt. 

Health Affairs Briefing Addresses Costly Consequences of Diabetes Treatment in America

January 11, 2012

This week I was honored to participate in a panel discussion at a Health Affairs briefing in Washington, D.C. on the costly consequences of the diabetes epidemic in United States.  The briefing, entitled “Confronting The Growing Diabetes Crisis,” opened up the dialogue about the many opportunities that exist to reverse the toll diabetes takes on the overall health of Americans – and their wallets. 

PFCD 2011 Year in Review & Looking Ahead to 2012

January 4, 2012

In an effort to raise awareness of the leading cause of death, disability and rising health care costs in our country, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) worked throughout 2011 to broaden the discussion and advance solutions in health care particularly with respect to the cost reductions resulting from reforms that address chronic disease as the primary driver of health care costs.

Health Care Reform to be Top of Mind in 2012

December 20, 2011

It's been almost a month since the Super Committee announced their stalemate on how best to reduce our national deficit. With no end in sight and the future of public health care programs in jeopardy, Democrats and Republicans alike are taking to the presidential campaign trail to discuss their ideas on how to cut national spending. The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), in the interest of preserving and improving programs that improve health outcomes, has been closely monitoring the headlines.

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