Report Watch – Week of 26 January, 2009

Just an occasional post when I come upon a few interesting reports that are worth a download. This week we have a few.

First we have:

Deloitte sees $530 bln in US health care savings

Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:05pm EST

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health care spending could drop by half a trillion dollars over 10 years if policymakers make broad changes like adopting electronic prescriptions and relying on drugs and procedures proven to work best, consulting firm Deloitte LLP said on Thursday.

Deloitte issued its proposals and analysis of potential cost reductions less than a week before President-elect Barack Obama takes office promising a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system.

The details of Obama's health care plans have not yet been released. Deloitte offered its own approach that embraced several ideas that experts have considered.

Deloitte proposed $220 billion in new spending upfront over three years on efforts such as getting doctors to use e-prescribing and electronic medical records, as well as better coordination of patient care through primary-care doctors.

Deloitte sees net savings beginning in the sixth year and 10-year savings of $530 billion.

"We're including improving health status and improving quality and not just taking an ax to costs," Paul Keckley, executive director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, said in a telephone interview.

Obama and Congress, in which his Democratic Party has the majority, are planning sweeping changes in a U.S. health care system that is the world's most expensive but lags other nations in many quality measures.

Access the full article here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE50E6RI20090115

The report can be viewed here:

http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/article/0%2C1002%2Ccid%25253D242410%2C00.html

And downloaded here:

http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_chs_healthcare_pyramiddeck_140109%281%29.pdf

Second we have:

Report: Privacy Rule Hinders Research

The HIPAA privacy rule continues to have a negative affect on health research, according to a new report from the Association of Academic Health Centers in Washington, D.C.

The rule imposes barriers that slow the pace of research, reduce patient participation in studies and increase costs, according to results of a survey of 54 respondents from 27 institutions that accompanies the report.

.....

The association also recommends revising the Common Rule to add more explicit standards for the privacy of health information and accommodate new technologies against new threats to safety and privacy.

For the complete 12-page report, "The HIPAA Privacy Rule: Lacks Patient Benefit, Impedes Research

Full article here:

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/privacy_HIPAA27592-1.html?ET=healthdatamanagement:e743:100325a:&st=email&channel=policies_regulation

Third we have:

AHRQ report shows how barcoding medication improves quality and safety

January 22, 2009 | Diana Manos, Senior Editor

ROCKVILLE, MD – The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's National Resource Center for Health Information Technology has released a report that shows how barcode medication administration can improve the quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare.

The report, released Wednesday, focuses on lessons learned from AHRQ projects where barcode medication administration and electronic medication administration record technologies (eMAR) were used.

According to the AHRQ, medication errors are the most frequent cause of adverse medical events. The Institute of Medicine has estimated that more than one million injuries and almost 100,000 deaths can be attributed to medical errors every year. Adverse drug events are estimated to cost the industry $2 billion a year.

The full article is here:

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/ahrq-report-shows-how-barcoding-medication-improves-quality-and-safety

The report can be found here:

http://healthit.ahrq.gov/images/dec08bcmareport/bcma_issue_paper.htm

These reports and associated materials are worth a close look.

David.

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