There are a number of reasons why hospital prices throughout the U.S. are rising, and a study published online Oct. 1 in Health Management, Policy and Innovation found that most of them relate to cost of care increases. There is little evidence to suggest that market competition is behind the higher prices or that hospitals hike up prices because of lower reimbursement from insurance companies.

The Washington Post reviewed contingency plans filed by federal agencies that detailed employee furloughs and what aspects of their programs would remain functioning during the government shutdown. The list is organized by agency and will be updated as information becomes available.

In a study of more than 2.3 million Medicare patients who underwent surgery, researchers found that 17.3 percent of these patients visited an emergency department (ED) within 30 days of discharge. Patients who underwent PCI and CABG had the highest rates of post-discharge ED visits compared with patients who had other procedures.

Policymakers may want to target the late post-acute period in patient care if they really want to rein in healthcare spending. A study published online Sept. 23 in JAMA Internal Medicine attributed three-quarters of Medicare beneficiaries’ acute MI expenditures to days 31 through 365.

Heart failure and acute myocardial infarction are two of three conditions at the center of the Medicare pay for performance bull’s eye. As the penalties expand to include other conditions, there’s much to learn from foibles and successes from hospitals across the country. How do you reduce 30-day all-cause readmission? It’s a complex challenge but one that Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles has met.

Bundled payments are gaining momentum as providers and payers begin exploring how to implement these models. Yet some policy analysts urge caution as they look beyond “how-to” aspects to longer-term consequences.   

Based on an analysis of ROMICAT I data, coronary CT angiography could lower costs for hospitals treating emergency department (ED) patients with acute chest pain by 23 percent if the patients are at low to intermediate risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). But the cost pendulum could swing the other way if the prevalence of indeterminate or significant CAD is high.

A two-sided risk-sharing payment program introduced by Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) across the state of Massachusetts led to reduced spending that did not compromise the quality of care and in some cases, actually improved it, according to a study published in the Aug. 28 issue of JAMA. The benefits affected not only BCBS members, but some Medicare beneficiaries as well.