Washington Report- August 30, 2011

August 30, 2011Hi All,The following is this week’s edition of the Dell Services weekly Washington Report.Information and updates in this report include:  Quote of the Week  Indicium Brevis – Ongoing snippets of information for your consideration…  Healthcare in Canada –Will an ombudsman help?  Where Do the Candidates Stand on Healthcare? –Breaking down where the Republican candidates for president stand on health reform.  Health IT Roundup – A weekly digest of the latest health technology developments.Quote of the Week"All indications point to this being a historic hurricane."President Obama, speaking this week at the White House on Hurricane Irene, whichblanketed most of the East Coast this past weekend and caused severe damage.Indicium BrevisOngoing snippets of information for your consideration…Benefits of Imagery Technology – Due to advancements in medical imaging, physiciansare now more likely to see what is wrong with a patient earlier than before, and they are lesslikely to subject patients to expensive hospital visits as a result. A new study in the Annals ofEmergency Medicine has found that the rate in which physicians admit patients to thehospital was slashed in half following the use of a computer tomography (CT) scan between1996 and 2007.Obama Reaches a New Low – According to a poll released this past weekend by Gallup, thedisapproval of President Obama has reached an all-time high. With nearly 55 percent of thecountry now disapproving with the job that the White House is doing, this is certainly notgood news for Obama’s camp. Though the dog days of summer are almost over, the folkson Pennsylvania Avenue likely took great concern with this latest set of figures.Obese to Reach 50 Percent by 2030 – In yet another scary set of facts, researchers atMailman School of Public Health at Columbia University have found that half of allAmericans will be considered obese by the year 2030 if their current eating and exerciserates continue. With obesity now replacing tobacco use as the single most preventablecause of death, almost 15 percent more Americans will become inflicted with this problemover the coming 19 years…

Healthcare in CanadaWill an ombudsman help?by Edward A. Campbell, National Healthcare StrategistNearly every industrialized country has healthcare needs that are going unmet. In countriessuch as Canada that have publicly funded healthcare systems, the biggest issues are waittimes for specialized services and access to primary care services.With Canada’s Health Act set to expire in 2014, the national government and Canadianprovinces are discussing different approaches to providing high quality healthcare servicesto citizens. The Canadian Medical Association’s annual report, released in August 2011, statesthat most Canadians want a patient-centric healthcare model with greater transparency intohow their tax dollars are being used by provinces and federal facilities to provide care. Amajority of the respondents also wanted greater accountability, especially where there is alack of quality, and were in favor of setting up a healthcare ombudsman, who would serve asan intermediary to record, track and manage complaints related to provision of healthcareservices.Even though 90 percent of Canadians want the federal government to lead the way to anew health pact, they have concerns about accountability, healthcare delivery under thepublicly administered system, improved health and cost efficiency. It is here that ahealthcare ombudsman could provide the necessary regulatory framework.There are other areas that require reform as well. Universality, portability and accessibilitywere basic tenets of Canada’s Health Act of 1958. In keeping with this commitment, thecountry’s Medicare system provides universal comprehensive access to essential hospitaland emergency services. But as in most industrialized countries, healthcare legislation andinfrastructure in Canada need an overhaul to provide high quality patient care.On one hand, there is concern that healthcare expenditure continues to increase in Canada,touching 11.7 percent of GDP in 2010. Today, public funding accounts for seven out of every10 dollars spent on healthcare in Canada. Yet in spite of accelerated healthcare spending,Canada still continues to lag behind Europe. In 2010, Canada was ranked 25th out of 34countries on “consumer friendliness” by the Euro-Canada Health Consumer Index. Thehealthcare delivery system also came under criticism, as it was revealed that patients whorelied on Medicare had to wait for 18.2 weeks for an appointment with a physician in 2010,an increase from 9.3 weeks in 1993.Another crucial area where Canada lags behind the rest of the world is in its adoption ofhealth information technology. Critics point out that Canada lacks both resources andcoordinated efforts to develop an integrated plan to adopt healthcare informationtechnology. So while Canada has invested billions of dollars in health informationtechnology in the past, the benefits of this expenditure have not been widespread.When measured against other industrialized countries, Canada ranks at the bottom on“health information practice capacity” or the use of electronic medical records in primarycare. In 2009, a Commonwealth Fund study estimated that only 23 percent of Canadianphysicians used EMRs. Comparable figures from the rest of the world were 98 percent in theNetherlands, 92 percent in New Zealand, 89 percent in the UK and 79 percent in Australia.

Health information technology in Canada has finally received a much needed stimulus. In2009, the federal government announced a $500 million investment in health informationtechnology that is being managed and allocated out by Canada Health Infoway. With this,work has begun to implement information technology into the healthcare system in Canada.The role of a healthcare ombudsman now becomes necessary to drive greateraccountability into that process.As Canada prepares to formulate a new health act, there is also an increasing demand forinnovation, de-centralization and greater participation in healthcare from the private sector.Additionally, the public and the government are also exploring the pros and cons of settingup an independent healthcare ombudsman. This improved framework, along with the newemphasis on technology, could give Canada the impetus it needs to reach and define globalhealthcare standards.As a National Healthcare Strategist for Dell, Edward Campbell has 30 years of experience in the ITindustry with 24 of those years spent merging his expertise in business with his intense knowledge ofthe healthcare industry. Edward is a leading authority on healthcare regionalization and regionalinformation system strategy and implementation, and has spoken on the subject at conferences andevents across North America.Where Do the Candidates Stand on Healthcare?Breaking down where the Republican candidates for president stand on health reformAt this point it’s fairly clear who the players are in the Republican Party’s race for the USpresidential nomination. Though most of the public, at least on the outset, knows thecandidates by name, very few know their specific positions on healthcare. Since healthcareis a topic that dominated much of President Obama’s first term, we can be sure that thecandidates’ past positions will be discussed greatly. Each of the candidates has come outsaying they would like to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but where do they stand onMedicare and Medicaid? Let’s take a look at a few of the top tier GOP prospects.Mitt Romney - Ignoring the fact that Romney passed the Massachusetts version ofhealthcare reform, the former governor has made many statements with regard to hiscurrent positions on the matter. Romney has supported Congressman Paul Ryan’shealthcare proposal, which transforms Medicaid into a block grant program and developsMedicare into a system more reliant on vouchers. Though he has also said that if elected, hewill put forward his own proposal to tackle Social Security and Medicare. Romney refuses tocut into the benefits that current seniors hold.Rick Perry - As the conservative favorite in the race, Perry has proclaimed that the 10thAmendment allows states to opt out of the Medicare program and should begin creatingtheir system to support seniors. Recently calling Medicare and Medicaid a so-called “Ponzischeme,” Perry has made his distaste for such government-funded programs clear and willrun on a platform of drastically changing these entitlements.Michelle Bachman - Another conservative favorite, Bachman voted for the Ryan budgetplan, but has since backtracked her support of the proposal’s Medicaid changes. Known to

support the notion that the healthcare reform package would foster “death panels,”Bachman supports cutting Medicare benefits for those under 55, and has voted againstallowing drug companies the ability to negotiate with the government, as she believes itwould create unfair price controls.Ron Paul - The libertarian and dark horse in the presidential race, Paul believes Medicare andMedicaid are unwarranted expansions of the federal government. He is a former physicianwho refused to partake in the Medicare program, and believes the entitlements are drainingAmerica’s financial strength and is in support of weaning a younger generation into freemarket healthcare programs. In return, he also believes that America should reduce defensespending and focus that extra money on funding Medicare for the elderly generation whostill uses the program.Health IT RoundupA weekly digest of the latest health technology developmentsTurning to Social Media in Disasters- A recent survey conducted by the American RedCross found that the public is largely turning to social media, mobile technology and onlinenews outlets in times of disaster. The survey found that about 24 percent of the public and31 percent of those online would use social media to notify their friends and family of theirsituation during a disaster. In fact, a large portion of the public, 80 percent, believe nationalemergency response teams should monitor social media outlets to prepare for quickresponses. After all, many times initial reports of disasters hit social media streams beforethey hit the news.Rewards for Health IT Innovation- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now acceptingproposals for Round 8 of the Grand Challenge Exploration, a $100 million grant initiativeestablished to encourage global health innovation and developmental research amongscientists, inventors and entrepreneurs. Proposals are due November 17th, and the mostinnovative proposals have a chance to receive a $100,000 grant. Successful projects canreceive an additional $1 million over the next two years.More Health IT, More Staff- According to a study titled “IT Spending and StaffingBenchmarks 2011/2012” conducted by Computer Economics, found that 61 percent ofhealthcare organizations plan to expand their IT staff this year. The number of IT employeesin the healthcare industry has increased by 3.6 percent, and IT operational budgets haveincreased about 3.1 percent during this past year. This is largely due to Meaningful Useincentive payments and the HITECH act fueling the health IT industry.For Past UpdatesFor past editions of the Washington Report, click here. Also, follow DellHealth on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/DellHealth. To contact me, send an email toAsk_Dell@Dell.com.

Washington Report- August 30, 2011

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Washington Report- August 30, 2011 Document Transcript