Navigation Links
Higher Medicare spending yields mixed bag for patients
Date:1/7/2008

BOSTON, Mass. (January 8, 2008)Many recent studies have found that Medicare spending across the country varies greatly. But despite these spending differences, aggregate health outcomes tend to be the same no matter which region a person lives in. Because of this, some policy makers have determined that there is no value to the excess costs in high-spending areas.

A new study that focuses on colorectal cancer as a model suggests this is not correct. While it finds that patients in low spending areas ultimately fare just as well those in high spending areas, the authors find that all care is not alike.

In certain cases the increased spending *is* beneficial, says Harvard Medical School professor of health care policy Mary Beth Landrum, lead author on the study that will be published in the January/February issue of Health Affairs. The focus should not simply be on cost containment, but rather on targeting care to the patients who we know will benefit.

For this study, Landrum and colleagues Nancy Keating and Ellen Meara, also Harvard Medical School faculty, looked at a cohort of 55,549 patients, who were all diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 1992 and 1996, and who were all over age sixty-five and enrolled in Medicare. These patients lived in various locations throughout the US, in high-spending Medicare areas like Los Angeles and Detroit, low-spending areas such as Iowa, Seattle, and Utah, and more moderate spending areas like San Francisco and Connecticut. The authors analyzed various aspects of their cancer care, including mortality rates three years post diagnosis.

Although increased spending did not yield improved patient outcomes overall, the authors found that not all increased spending was necessarily wasteful.

For example, chemotherapy for patients in stage 3 colorectal cancer is very helpful, and people in these high-spending areas receive it and greatly benefit from it, says Landrum. But
'/>"/>

Contact: David Cameron
david_cameron@hms.harvard.edu
617-432-0441
Harvard Medical School
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related medicine news :

1. Fatherhood Tied to Higher Prostate Cancer Risk
2. College Drinking Games Lead to Higher Blood Alcohol Levels
3. Severe Psoriasis Linked to Higher Death Risk
4. Health needs higher for kids of abused moms
5. Relatives of Parkinsons Patients at Higher Psychiatric Risk
6. Depressed Moms Kids at Higher Injury Risk
7. New Study Finds HIV Rates Among MSM Vastly Higher Than General Population in Developing Countries
8. Autism U: As College Application Deadlines Near, Growing Adult Autism Population Focuses on Higher Education
9. Non-Caucasians at higher risk for severe metastatic breast cancer pain
10. Babies Born Few Weeks Early Face Higher Death Risk
11. Higher-risk kidneys may help solve organ shortage facing older adults
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/23/2013)... Sika Sarnafil , the worldwide market leader in ... Systems of Iowa as the Recycling Project of the ... the re-roofing of the SuperTarget retail store in Olathe, ... contractor and one of Target’s Preferred Tier One roofing ... building practices and they are a worthy recipient of ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... Professional Insurance Plans, an independent insurance ... celebrate Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month. As a ... country, the agency feels that it is important for ... that affects an estimated 10 million of Americans. , ... definition of Fibromyalgia (FM) is, “a common and complex ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 23, 2013 Traditionally, laser skin therapy ... on skins of colour, this can be tricky. Based ... 1-1V may be treated safely with most lasers. Darker ... discoloration issues, have been left without recourse. Those who ... “clear” their skin successfully. , Hyperpigmentation occurs ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... , , THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Statins are ... but the medications also could hamper heart patients, ability ... A small group of overweight or obese people ... taking a 40 milligram daily dose of simvastatin, while ... same exercise regimen did show improvement, found the study ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... PTSD , Soldiers returning home from combat may ... disorder if public support for a war effort is ... shapes the level of distress soldiers feel from the ... two experiments that asked participants to exterminate woodlice in ... actor show either interest or disgust for the act ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Sika Sarnafil Announces Recycling Project of the Year Winner 2Health News:Professional Insurance Plans Encourages the Nation to Celebrate Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month 2Health News:Vancouver Skin Care Clinic Successfully Clears Pigmentation in Skin of Colour 2Health News:Vancouver Skin Care Clinic Successfully Clears Pigmentation in Skin of Colour 3Health News:Statins May Hamper Workout Results 2Health News:Statins May Hamper Workout Results 3Health News:Link between war support and PTSD, time it late in negotiations and courtship by narcissists 2Health News:Link between war support and PTSD, time it late in negotiations and courtship by narcissists 3
... Spanish . , The PhD, defended ... the Basque Country, proposes a series of recommendations that ... professionals who treat terminal cancer patients. , Autonomy is ... armed with knowledge about the causes of the illness, ...
... talk and ... care about digestive health, WHITE PLAINS, ... advertising campaign for Activia featuring award-winning,actress and passionate self-esteem advocate ... air throughout 2008, Curtis draws attention,to the importance of digestive ...
... Named National, Spokesperson for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,s 2008 Light The ... ... March 3 Rob Brown, who stars in the,upcoming drama The Express as ... to win the Heisman,Trophy, is the national spokesperson for The Leukemia & Lymphoma ...
... The Providence Service,Corporation (Nasdaq: PRSC ) today ... its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2007,on ... Providence will hold a conference call at 11:00 a.m. ... Thursday, March 13, 2008 to discuss its,financial results and ...
... CEL-SCI CORPORATION,(Amex: CVM ) provided details ... groundbreaking activities currently underway at its,manufacturing facility near ... Multikine(R), the Company,s lead compound, for a pivotal,Phase ... untreated head,and neck cancer patients. The facility, which ...
... ... Hospitals, TEL AVIV, ... digital templating software, will,launch its unique Orthoweb on-line service at the ... in San,Francisco (Booth #349, Hall A)., "This is a real ...
Cached Medicine News:Health News:Factors that enhance autonomy of cancer patients 2Health News:Factors that enhance autonomy of cancer patients 3Health News:Dannon Activia Launches Thought-Provoking Advertising Campaign Featuring Jamie Lee Curtis 2Health News:Dannon Activia Launches Thought-Provoking Advertising Campaign Featuring Jamie Lee Curtis 3Health News:Actor Rob Brown Rushes to Gain Ground Against Blood Cancer 2Health News:Providence Service Corporation to Report Fourth Quarter 2007 Results on Wednesday, March 12th After the Market Closes 2Health News:Providence Service Corporation to Report Fourth Quarter 2007 Results on Wednesday, March 12th After the Market Closes 3Health News:CEL-SCI CORPORATION Announces Results of 2008 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Provides Update on Ground-breaking Activities Regarding Construction of Manufacturing Facility for Pivotal Phase III Cancer Trial 2Health News:Orthocrat to Launch On-Line Service for Storing and Sharing Pre-Operative Data at AAOS 2
(Date:5/23/2013)... -- Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ: OMER ) today ... to evaluate OMS824 in Huntington,s disease has been ... (FDA). OMS824 selectively inhibits phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE10), an ... to a wide range of diseases that affect ... shown promising results in animal models directly relevant ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013  Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc., ... today that it will present new results on ... industry conference sponsored by the PML Consortium (composed ... JC polyomavirus (JCV) is the causative agent of ... kinase inhibitor in an extended release formulation, can ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... -- InspireMD, Inc. ("InspireMD" or the ... protection stents, today announced new 6-month results from ... trial demonstrating that the MGuard Embolic Protection Stent ... in all-cause mortality in ST segment elevation myocardial ... presented at the InspireMD STEMI Symposium at EuroPCR, ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:Investigational New Drug Application Cleared by FDA for OMS824 in Huntington's Disease 2Investigational New Drug Application Cleared by FDA for OMS824 in Huntington's Disease 3Investigational New Drug Application Cleared by FDA for OMS824 in Huntington's Disease 4Inhibikase Therapeutics to present at Industry Conference on Drug-Induced Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) 2InspireMD's MGuard Embolic Protection Stent (EPS) Shows Lower Mortality Rate in STEMI Patients at Six Months Compared to Control Group 2InspireMD's MGuard Embolic Protection Stent (EPS) Shows Lower Mortality Rate in STEMI Patients at Six Months Compared to Control Group 3InspireMD's MGuard Embolic Protection Stent (EPS) Shows Lower Mortality Rate in STEMI Patients at Six Months Compared to Control Group 4InspireMD's MGuard Embolic Protection Stent (EPS) Shows Lower Mortality Rate in STEMI Patients at Six Months Compared to Control Group 5
... Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO ) will be ... New York on Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 12:30 ... Financial Officer, Halozyme Therapeutics, will provide a corporate overview. ... The presentation will be webcast through the "Investors" section ...
... 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- A January blog ... Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), captured one of the core ... a divergence among members of the National Advisory Mental Health ... for funding by the NIMH. "Some members of ...
Cached Medicine Technology:Halozyme Therapeutics to Present at the Jefferies 2012 Global Healthcare Conference 2In basic science, sometimes it takes individual benefactors like Roys Poyiadjis to fuel innovation 2In basic science, sometimes it takes individual benefactors like Roys Poyiadjis to fuel innovation 3
To maintain the conjunctival cul-de-sacs after enucleation or evisceration without hindering lid closure....
To maintain the conjunctival cul-de-sacs after enucleation or evisceration without hindering lid closure....
... coated with a thin layer ... the surface slick as glass ... prevent debris from collecting on ... For partial stenosis. Silicone with ...
With side bite Instrument recommended to catch the polypropylene thread in the nose....
Medicine Products: