The Numbers Game

April 19, 2011 by Curtis Kauffman-Pickelle

Demographers tell us that the fastest growing segment in the U.S. is that group of citizens that are 65+.  Add to this statistic the fact that there are approximately 78 million so called “baby boomers” that are just now arriving at retirement age and the stage is set for a major acceleration in the overall demand for health care services in the next 20 years or so.  That is good news and bad news, as usual....

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ACHE Trendwatch: Hot Spotting

March 22, 2011 by Cat Vasko

As a patient who desperately wants health care costs to come down, I can’t deny the appeal of the hot-spotting approach: targeting the most expensive patients, usually those with chronic disease, and intensively managing their conditions to lower their health care utilization. I share a risk pool with these people, and I’m tired of them driving up my costs to the point that I pay more money for two months of health insurance than is spent...

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How Not to Wind Up Like MIDI and West Valley

December 02, 2009 by Cat Vasko

This morning I popped in on a session focused on Medicare fraud and abuse. Stuart Langbein, JD, offered “tales from the front line” – and as a lawyer dealing with Medicare fraud issues, he had plenty of material to discuss. “There’s been a lot of attention paid in the past decade to health care fraud and abuse, and I think we’re only going to see that continue,” he said. “Congress is going to pump more money into fraud and abuse efforts with health care reform.”

Langbein explained that we can examine the language in both the...

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