HHS moves to mathematical modeling for research, intervention evaluation – FierceHealthIT

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has decided to use a new method of mathematical modeling to research, analyze and evaluate the effects of specific healthcare interventions.

Under a new contract with San Francisco-based Archimedes Inc., all HHS agencies will have access to the web-based Archimedes Healthcare Simulator (ARCHes). Among the agencies involved are the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, and the Food & Drug Administration.

via HHS moves to mathematical modeling for research, intervention evaluation – FierceHealthIT.

Judicial Watch Uncovers New Documents: Obama Administration Bankrolls Massive Internet Propaganda Campaign to Push Obamacare | Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it obtained documents from the Obama Department of Health and Human Services HHS showing that the Obama White House helped coordinate a multimillion dollar taxpayer-funded campaign to use Internet search engines such as Google and Yahoo to drive web traffic to a government website promoting the Affordable Health Care Act also known as Obamacare. The expressed purpose of this campaign is to increase public support for the president’s health care overhaul among key Obama campaign demographics, specifically Hispanics, blacks, and women.The 2,328 pages of records, obtained by Judicial Watch pursuant to a March 23, 2011, Freedom of Information Act FOIA lawsuit Judicial Watch v. Department of Health and Human Services No. 11-608, include internal correspondence between officials at the HHS office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs ASPA, as well as communications with representatives from The Ogilvy Group, the public relations firm hired by the Obama administration to manage the Obamacare campaign. The following are highlights from the documents: The Obama HHS launched a campaign to track Internet searches and to use online search engines such as Google and Yahoo to drive traffic to a government website promoting Obama’s healthcare overhaul. Using “pay-per-click” advertising tools, such as Google Adwords, HHS purposely targeted for influence people searching the term “Obamacare,” a word that has been described as “disparaging” by political agents of the president.

via Judicial Watch Uncovers New Documents: Obama Administration Bankrolls Massive Internet Propaganda Campaign to Push Obamacare | Judicial Watch.

Comparing Health Care Quality: A National Directory – RWJF

In every community across America, both good and bad care is being delivered in doctors’ offices and hospitals. Bad care causes medical errors and poor outcomes and wastes resources and money. That’s why it is important to know if health care providers deliver high-quality health care by making sure patients get the right tests or the right treatment at the right time.

Measuring and publicly reporting on the quality and cost of care physicians and hospitals provide is crucial to improving the quality and lowering the cost of care nationwide. Our directory provides access to publicly available, free reports with information about the process of delivering care (for example, did patients get all the recommended care?), actual outcome for patients (for example, did patients die or have to return to the hospital?), what patients said in surveys about their experience with physicians or hospitals, and/or cost.

More at Comparing Health Care Quality: A National Directory – RWJF.

Ohio Health Policy Review: HPIO creates online reference guide to evidence-based public health practices

Evidence-based medicine and best practices are highly influential in medical decisions, reimbursement and quality measurement strategies. And federal health reform efforts have placed an increased emphasis on disease prevention and wellness promotion, opening the door for changes in reimbursement and quality measurement in public health.

In an effort to link public health professionals and other community health leaders to the resources they need to make informed decisions about effective interventions in their communities, The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has created an online reference guide to evidence-based public health practices.

More at Ohio Health Policy Review: HPIO creates online reference guide to evidence-based public health practices.

Federal Register | Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

This notice announces the intention of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection project: “Comparative Effectiveness Research—Continuing Education.” In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection.

More at Federal Register | Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request.

Increasing Insurance Industry Transparency | HealthCare.gov

Today, HHS published proposed consumer disclosure notices, required by the Affordable Care Act, which insurers will have to complete and report electronically when they propose rate increases over 10 percent. The information provided would give consumers detailed information about proposed increases that can be easily accessed on the HHS website. Posting this information would help consumers know what their insurance companies are proposing while the rate increase requests are being reviewed.

More at Increasing Insurance Industry Transparency | HealthCare.gov.

Medicaid RACs

Section 6411 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 required States and territories to establish Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) programs. Medicaid RACs are tasked with identifying and recovering Medicaid overpayments and identifying underpayments. As an initial step for establishing their RAC programs, jurisdictions are expected to submit a Medicaid State Plan amendment (SPA) that addresses some of the essential elements of their RAC program.

The map below summarizes the status of each jurisdiction’s RAC program, based on the information submitted in its SPA. During the implementation phase of these RAC programs, this website will be updated on an ongoing basis.

More at Medicaid RACs.

- ImproveHealthCare.org

ImproveHealthCare seeks to bring together a community of medical students and professionals interested in health policy and improving quality, expanding access, and lowering disparities in health care. IHC is a student-led initiative started by students at Harvard Medical School who were concerned that medical education did not address these issues, despite their impact on our patients and our practice.

To address these challenges, students worked with faculty mentors to develop a library of cases, which, in part, became integrated into the pre-clinical curriculum at HMS.

More at  ImproveHealthCare.org.

Thomson Reuters Combines Expertise and Information Resources In Its New Center For Comparative Effectiveness Research – Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters announced today that it has launched The Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research to help advance the quality and effective use of comparative effectiveness research (CER) in the U.S. healthcare system.

More at Thomson Reuters Combines Expertise and Information Resources In Its New Center For Comparative Effectiveness Research – Thomson Reuters.

Seeing the NICE Side of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: A Quantitative Investigation of the Use of CEA in NICE Technology Appraisals – The Commonwealth Fund

Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers sought to understand how the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) uses findings from cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) of medical technologies, including both drugs and devices, to inform coverage decisions for the National Health Service. To do so, the researchers followed the approval process for seven topics through interviews with members of the Technology Appraisal Committee and by sitting in on meetings and reviewing supporting documents.

More at Seeing the NICE Side of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: A Quantitative Investigation of the Use of CEA in NICE Technology Appraisals – The Commonwealth Fund.