Decision support can enhance patient care: use of research-based guidelines will complement addiction professionals' decision-making.
Jane is a behavioral health professional at a community mental health center. One workday morning she gets a message from the insurance company of a client who had a recent backslide, informing her that the client's benefits are exhausted. Jane then sees a new client who has both addiction...

Incentives are not improving care, expert says.
WASHINGTON -- The few studies that have examined the effectiveness of incentivized pay-for-performance programs have found a mix of moderate to no improvement in quality measures, which, in some instances, have led to unintended consequences, Dr. Daniel B. Mark said at the annual meeting of the Heart Failure Society...

FPs await fixes to TRICARE referral, payment systems: low reimbursement limits access to care.
It's been a year since the American Academy of Family Physicians struck a deal with TRICARE, under which the AAFP agreed to encourage its members to see patients from the U.S. military health plan in exchange for less bureaucracy and better reimbursement. After holding up its end...

Incentives are not improving care, expert says.
WASHINGTON -- The few studies that have examined the effectiveness of incentivized pay-for-performance programs have found a mix of moderate to no improvement in quality measures, which, in some instances, have led to unintended consequences, Dr. Daniel B. Mark said at the annual meeting of the Heart Failure Society...

Prescribing patterns for topical retinoids within NAMCS data.
Abstract Objective: Fears of potentially costly use of topical retinoids for cosmetic treatment of photodamaged skin have resulted in many managed care organizations placing prior authorization requirements on this class of medications. The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether prescribing patterns of a nationally representative...

Administrators give views of chronic pain management.
PALM SPRINGS, CALIF. -- A clear majority of administrators from managed care organizations believe pain management programs could save money for their organizations, but only a third have such programs in place, Dennis C. Turk, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. ...

William H. Downham.
William H. Downham, MD, MSHA, is a consultant with Will/Kieffer, a leading national executive search firm. He works in the firm's St. Louis, Mo. office. Downham has worked in hospitals, integrated delivery systems, managed care organizations, clinical practices and physician organizations. Most recently, he served as interim executive vice...

Need for chronic pain management is unmet.
PALM SPRINGS, CALIF. -- A clear majority of administrators from managed care organizations believe pain management programs could save money for their organizations, but only a third have such programs in place, Dennis C. Turk, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. ...

What does it take to retain top physician executives?
Health care organizations and executive search firms spend significant time and money attracting and hiring physicians for top-level posts. Yet the average tenure of a physician executive is only a few years, (1) and approximately half are involuntarily terminated from their jobs. (2) Consider the following examples: ...

The case for public funding and private delivery.
Common sense and empirical evidence suggest that single-payer health insurance, combined with competitive private delivery, would be the most cost-effective way of achieving the major, widely accepted goals of health care reform. Among the current presidential candidates, Kucinich and Gravel have the most promising reform proposals, with Edwards's and...