Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
Last Thursday’s post showed that workers comp is a huge money maker for hospitals, generating about 16% of their profits on less than 2% of revenue. The attempts to date to control hospital costs have been to set WC reimbursement … Continue reading DRGs, Medicare, hospitals, and workers comp
Read More...It is Friday the 13th. That legendary day of mythical fears, the bane of the superstitious, the day of bad luck and portentous omens. A fitting day indeed to tell an all-too-real horror story. We’ll begin with the dry, dull, … Continue reading It’s time to regain control
Read More...I’ve just about completed compiling results of the Fifth Annual Survey of Prescription Drug Management in Workers Comp. While the report won’t be completed for a couple weeks, here are a few factoids that are rather compelling. Drug trend continues … Continue reading Drug costs in workers comp – and the answer is
Read More...I’m knee deep in my annual survey of pharmacy management in workers’ comp, and if I look at one more column of data I’m going to need a few class 2’s myself. So in the interest of my sanity, here … Continue reading A few facts about Pharmacy Management in Workers Comp
Read More...Friend and colleague Peter Rousmaniere recently attended the NCCI conference and was kind enough to provide a comprehensive report. Here it is, and thank Peter when you see him.
Read More...I recently gave a keynote speech to a group of insurance brokers affiliated with the Institute for Work Comp Professionals; the talk focused on cost drivers in WC, with special emphasis on medical costs. The part of the talk that … Continue reading Shooting yourself in the head
Read More...The opening session for the World Health Care Congress featured Hans Rosling MD PhD of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute – a wizard in the use of statistics to explain the relationship between income, health status and the evolution thereof in ways … Continue reading World Health Care Trends – Why income doesn’t matter
Read More...Drug costs now account for 15% of total medical expense in workers comp, a percentage that has grown dramatically over the last few years. My firm has conducted the only survey of payers focused on prescription drug management in workers … Continue reading Survey of Prescription Drugs in Workers Comp
Read More...It’s 2008. There are thousands of really smart people working to change the delivery of health care, reduce inappropriate use, and improve outcomes. But in one state, things aren’t getting better – they are getting worse. (I’m not picking on … Continue reading What’s going on in Pennsylvania?
Read More...Because they can. Brand drug prices went up yet again last year, by over 7%. This on the heels of a similar price increase in 2006, which ‘coincidentally’ occurred after Part D went into effect and millions of seniors suddenly … Continue reading Why drug costs are going up.
Read More...