The picture in Georgia appears to be pretty bleak. The State has chosen not to expand Medicaid. Early estimates predict the cost of Health Insurance on the exchanges may be 45% higher, than the ridiculously high cost Georgians are already paying for Health Insurance. Any chance of an affordable plan will likely come with a deductible of $5,000 or more. Employers are dropping coverage left and right in favor of the penalty, which in reality is not really a penalty because it is cheaper. Employers, who are opting to keep their group plans, are facing substantial premium and deductible increases, as well. It is not looking good for anyone, especially those who most need it, from a cost perspective.

However, the average member of society- the one who does not work in the industry- does not understand, and they are not ready for what lies ahead. My question to you as a Healthcare Leader is what are we doing about it? Our patients, …

And that includes ordering numerous unnecessary and expensive tests and procedures.

While not all Georgia physicians practice defensive medicine, the overwhelming majority do. According to a recent survey conducted by Oppenheim Research, 82 percent of Georgia doctors say they perform unnecessary tests, procedures and referral consultations exclusively to avoid a medical malpractice claim.

A 2010 Gallup Poll of physicians found that one-in-four healthcare dollars is spent on defensive medicine. A great deal of money is “wasted” on the practice of defensive medicine. Last year, Georgians were subjected to $14 billion of unnecessary tests, procedures or consultations with little or no clinical …

1. Health Insurance Exchanges

In accordance with the Healthcare Reform Act, health insurance exchanges must be operational by January 1, 2014. Each State has an opportunity to either establish its own health insurance exchange or to allow the Federal government to administer the exchange. The health insurance exchange is …

mHealth technology is quickly moving towards market adoption and commoditization. We are seeing numerous prototypes and proof-of-concept solutions where a smart phone with software and biometric sensors are delivering real-time …

Oregon did a limited expansion of Medicaid in 2008 by offering coverage to individuals who met income and other eligibility requirements and were winners of a lottery. That meant that about 30,000 adults were newly enrolled in the Medicaid program out of 90,000 eligible. The state thus created a classic experiment with a control group and a treatment group.

The study found significant differences in the two group’s access and utilization of health care, a substantial improvement in mental health outcomes for the Medicaid covered population, a significant reduction in financial strain on covered families and significant …

Vaccinations are one of the few advances in science and health care that have been able to prevent and or eradicate certain diseases. Think about it! We take a pill for Hypertension but it doesn’t go …

We have also hoped that the day of an interoperable platform would allow healthcare professionals and facilities to access individual patient’s health information. Some progress has been made in a couple of states in terms of creating a legitimate health information exchange (HIE). However, the process of building, implementing and sustaining an HIE needs accelerating in most states including Georgia.

But as data is gathered, stored and analyzed, we have new, emerging opportunities which have promise. The term “big data” has surfaced as a new buzzword in healthcare.

Data is growing and moving faster than healthcare organizations can consume it. Most medical data is unstructured but …

According to the proposed regulations a minor and inadvertent violation, which is corrected promptly, will not be considered a breach. Omissions, over the minor and inadvertent level, but not willful and egregious, which are promptly discovered and corrected, will be forgiven with correct disclosures. Only those violations found to be willful and egregious will result in remove of the 501(c)3 status.

Now before you celebrate and cancel your extensive implementation plans for your new improved and widely publicized FAP, let us think for a moment about what willful and …