New MarketScape Report from IDC Health Insights Evaluates Evolution of Health Information Exchange Platform Solutions

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

A new IDC MarketScape report from IDC Health Insights highlights the rapid evolution of the health information exchange (HIE) market. The comprehensive study, IDC MarketScape: U.S. Health Information Exchange Platform Solutions 2012 Vendor Assessment (Doc #HI235816), provides an evaluation of 16 vendors that offer a platform solution for Health Information Exchange. IDC Health Insights defines a platform as having development tools, published APIs, education of technical staff, a broad ecosystem of partners, and professional services. Vendors evaluated for this report include: AT&T, AxSys Technology, Caradigm, Carefx, Certify Data Systems, Covisint, dbMotion, IBM, Infor, InterSystems Corp., Medicity, OptumInsight, Oracle, Orion Health, RelayHealth, and Verizon.

The health information exchange market continues to evolve with the focus shifting from connecting the ecosystem to exchange data and qualify for meaningful use incentives, to turning data into "actionable information" that enables emerging accountable care or collaborative care initiatives. This shift has lead to additional market consolidation among HIE vendors. Since the IDC Health Insights report Vendor Assessment: Industry Short List for Health Information Exchange Technologies was published two years ago (March 2010, Doc #HI222529), seven HIE vendors have been acquired or merged and new, nontraditional players have entered the market including payers and telecommunication companies.

"The IT requirements for health information organizations and evolving care delivery and reimbursement models are too extensive for any one vendor to satisfy," said Lynne Dunbrack, program director, Connected Health IT Strategies at IDC Health Insights. "To address the business and technical requirements of accountable care, in addition to providing core HIE technologies, vendors are responding by developing, partnering, or acquiring analytics, collaborative care, and patient engagement technologies."

Platform-as-a-service will increasingly play an important role in delivering HIE capabilities as vendors look to create an ecosystem of strategic partnerships. Platforms will evolve over time to meet the needs of customers and partners in the ecosystem, often through self development. In contrast, packaged solutions are designed to meet a very specific set of requirements. The IDC MarketScape vendor assessments for HIE technology are not all inclusive as there are other vendors that provide either a packaged or platform solution for HIE. Additional HIE vendors are covered in IDC MarketScape: U.S. Health Information Exchange Packaged Solutions 2012 Vendor Assessment (Doc #HI235830), which covers ten vendors that offer a packaged solution for HIE.

IDC MarketScape criteria selection, weightings, and vendor scores represent well-researched IDC judgment about the market and specific vendors. IDC analysts tailor the range of standard characteristics by which vendors are measured through structured discussions, surveys, and interviews with market leaders, participants and end users. Market weightings are based on user interviews, buyer surveys and the input of a review board of IDC experts in each market. IDC analysts base individual vendor scores, and ultimately vendor positions within the IDC MarketScape, on detailed surveys and interviews with the vendors, publicly available information and end-user experiences in an effort to provide an accurate and consistent assessment of each vendor's characteristics, behavior and capability.

For additional information about this study, or to arrange a one-on-one briefing with Lynne please contact Julie Crotty at 978-877-0053 or Julie@attunecommunications.com. Reports are available to qualified members of the media. For information on purchasing reports, contact insights@idc.com; reporters should email Julie@attunecommunications.com.

About IDC MarketScape

IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.

About IDC Health Insights

IDC Health Insights assists health businesses and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing the payer, provider and life sciences industries. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology market. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world’s leading technology, media, research, and events company. For more information, please visit www.idc-hi.com, email info@idc-hi.com, or call 508-935-4445. Visit the IDC Health Insights Community at http://idc-insights-community.com/health

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Aging Boomers' Mental Health Woes Will Swamp Health System: Report

TUESDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- The United States faces an unprecedented number of aging baby boomers with mental health or substance use issues, a number so great it could overwhelm the existing health care system, a new report warned Tuesday.

"The report is sufficiently alarmist," said Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "I think [the report authors] are right."

Kennedy was not involved with the report, The Mental Health and Substance Use Workforce for Older Adults: In Whose Hands? It was mandated by Congress and issued by The Institute of Medicine in light of a "silver tsunami" of health care needs expected to accompany a senior population that will reach 72.1 million by 2030.

The "silver tsunami" is the result of simple supply-and-demand forces gone awry, the report authors explained.

Up to 8 million older Americans, or 20 percent of the current senior population, suffer from some form of mental health condition, often depression, at-risk drinking or dementia-related behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, according to the IOM report. (A basic diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease was excluded from the study.)

And 2 million seniors have severe mental illnesses, a number that is "greatly under-appreciated," said Dr. Peter Rabins, one of the authors of the report.

Also, as baby boomers age, studies indicate that their use of illicit drugs will continue.

"The reality is the Woodstock Generation has come of age," said Kennedy. "Their background is with psychedelic drugs, marijuana, recreational drugs, non-narcotics . . . It's a real problem."

Against these growing problems, meanwhile, the number of health providers and other service providers is shrinking in proportion. And that means, according to the report, that "a health care workforce that is not prepared to address either [mental health/substance use] problems or the special needs of an aging population is a compelling public health burden."

"The number of individuals with specialty training in both aging and either mental health or substance use issues is extremely small," said Rabins, who is a psychiatry professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Nor are candidates rushing to fill the pipeline, Kennedy added, probably because of lower pay in geriatric specialties.

Each of these populations -- the elderly, and those with mental health and/or substance use issues -- require special care. But the two in combination represent a special challenge.

Older people metabolize both alcohol and drugs differently from younger people, putting them at risk for overdoses. According to one estimate, almost two-thirds of emergency room visits for adverse drug reactions in 2008 were by elderly people.

Also, elderly people -- particularly those with depression -- may be less able to adhere to complicated medication regimens for mental and physical ailments.

And medications to treat mental health issues may not react well with other medications needed to treat high blood pressure, diabetes and the host of other physical problems that become common as people age.

"The biggest challenge appears to be the fact that these problems rarely occur in isolation. Most [elderly] people who have mental health or substance use problems also have a physical health problem," said Rabin. "That's not true in younger age groups."

The report provides a number of recommendations for solutions, in what basically amounts to an overhaul of the health care system.

Key to handling the future explosion of seniors with mental health issues and/or substance use issues will be organizing a better health care workforce.

"We really need to be training the existing workforce, which interacts with both older people and mentally ill people, to have the skill set of the other group," said Rabins. "People with general mental health training, such as social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists, have very little training in treating the elderly. Those in the aging network have very little experience treating mental illness."

Better provisions, including funding, need to be made for training professionals to care for this population. This includes primary care providers, nurses and nursing-home assistants.

And Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement schedules need to be overhauled to make sure the services this population requires are covered.

The report also said the federal government should coordinate all the efforts that involve these two vulnerable populations.

In addition, Kennedy suggested that partial forgiveness of medical-school loans would "turn around the onward direction of trainees coming into the geriatric field."

More information

Visit the Institute of Medicine for more on the report.

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Brooks, Dionne on Jobs Report, Romney's Health Care Message

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne discuss the week's top political news, including the dismal June jobs report, why the stimulus recovery plan hasn't had a greater effect, and Mitt Romney's health care message and evolving relationship with the conservative base.

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Health of Americans a Mixed Bag: CDC Report

TUESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- There were both good and bad trends in the overall health of Americans in 2011, a new government report shows.

For example, Americans are exercising more, smoking less and getting vaccinated against pneumonia. And the Affordable Care Act means fewer people are going without health care, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, Americans are more obese than ever and diabetes is hitting older people hard.

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics released the early findings of their 2011 National Health Interview Survey on Tuesday.

"Overall, this report, based on data not as yet fully adjusted but nonetheless valid, demonstrates both significant improvements in the nation's health and health habits, and areas that still require serious attention," said Dr. Pascal James Imperato, dean and Distinguished Service Professor in the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York City.

"Among the latter is the obesity epidemic, which over time will predispose increasingly larger numbers of people to both type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease," he said.

The decline in smoking rates among adults is very good news and is the result of a combination of extensive public health education efforts, a decline in social acceptance of smoking, restrictions on where people can smoke and the increased costs of smoking, Imperato noted.

"Aerobic exercising has been widely embraced by many younger people, which is an excellent development as it addresses not only the health needs to be active, build muscle tone and bone density, and promote cardiac fitness, but also the prevention of overweight and obesity," he said.

However, this gain is offset by those who do not exercise and who adhere to unhealthy diets, leading to obesity, Imperato added. "This results in the seemingly contradictory data of 48.4 percent of adults reporting aerobic exercising, and 28.7 percent reporting being obese."

Only a small percentage of the U.S. population (2.4 percent) describes their own personal health as "poor," Imperato pointed out. "The widespread acceptance of poor health behaviors -- resulting in increased body mass indices in many -- is reflected in so few stating that their health is poor," he noted.

"Lack of exercise [and] poor diets rich in fats and carbohydrates are widely accepted," Imperato said, "along with larger than ever food portion sizes and the volume of sugared drinks consumed."

Highlights of the report include:

The percentage of adults who drink five or more alcoholic drinks a day has dropped after increasing between 2004 and 2010, to just over 22 percent in 2011.Self-reported obesity in Americans over age 20 has climbed from 19.4 percent in 1997 to 28.7 percent in 2011.One in five adults aged 65 and older has diabetes versus one in 10 among those aged 45 to 54.Only 2.4 percent of Americans rate their personal health as poor.Among black children under 15 years of age, 16.6 percent have asthma; that figure is 10 percent for Hispanic children and 7.5 percent for white kids.Fifty percent of adults aged 25 to 44 say they have been tested for HIV.In 2011, 48.4 percent of adults aged 18 and older said they did aerobic exercise -- the highest percentage ever reported.For 6.5 percent of Americans, cost kept them from seeking needed medical care.Among those aged 65 and older, 7.3 percent needed assistance with personal care in 2011, compared with 6.4 percent in 2000.More adults (3.4 percent) had serious psychological distress during 2011 than in 1999 (2.4 percent).The number of U.S. adults who smoke dropped from 24.7 percent in 1997 to 18.9 percent in 2011.Most Americans (87 percent) had a usual place to go for medical care in 2011, a little more than the 2010 estimate of 85.4 percent.In 2011, almost 67 percent of those aged 65 and older had received a vaccine against pneumonia, a significant increase from 43 percent in 1997.

"This is, fundamentally, a tale of two series of findings -- those related to outcomes, and those related to behaviors," according to Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine.

"These are the worst of times when it comes to obesity and diabetes, both of which are at high levels and still rising," he said.

The rise in diabetes rates among older adults has its counterpart in the rising prevalence in children. "More adults reporting obesity similarly is mirrored by the unprecedented rates of childhood obesity. Obesity and diabetes portend other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer, so these are ominous findings," Katz stated.

But, the behavioral news is much better, he said.

"Smoking rates continue to decline, whittling away at the nation's single leading cause of premature death. Physical activity rates are rising. All that's missing from this mix is evidence that dietary patterns are improving," he pointed out.

"Maybe, over time, more healthful behaviors will produce better health outcomes," Katz concluded.

More information

For more on the nation's health, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Modest Health Care Spending Rise Expected for 2013: Report

TUESDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Health care spending in the United States from 2011 to 2013 is expected to grow 4 percent, which is slightly more than the historic low of 3.8 percent in 2009, government officials said Tuesday.

According to the experts at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), growth in health care spending by consumers remained sluggish in 2011 and that trend is expected to continue this year and next.

"We are expecting near-historic low growth in health spending for the first three years of our projection period," Sean Keehan, a senior economist in the CMS Office of the Actuary and lead author of the report, said during an early-afternoon press conference.

But in 2014, when all the facets of the Affordable Care Act go into effect, health care spending is expected to increase significantly, he added. "This is especially the case for prescription drugs and clinician clinical services," Keehan said.

"In addition, by 2021, the number of uninsured people is expected to be reduced by nearly 30 million," Keehan noted.

By 2021, health care spending is expected to be 19.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), up from 17.9 percent in 2010, according to the report published online June 12 and in the July print edition of Health Affairs.

Despite the slow rate in health spending growth seen during the recession and beyond, in 2014 health spending growth is expected to pick up and accelerate to 7.4 percent. This increase is largely due to the expansion of the Affordable Care Act, which will make medical care accessible for many more people, according to the report.

In addition, from 2011 through 2021, health care spending is expected to grow an average of 5.7 percent a year, which is 0.9 percent faster than the expected yearly increase in gross domestic product over that time.

And by 2021, federal, state and local government health care spending is expected to account for almost 50 percent of national health expenditures. That's up from 46 percent in 2011, with federal spending accounting for some two-thirds of the total government share, the researchers reported.

These rising costs are being driven by more baby boomers enrolling in Medicare and more people taking advantage of Medicaid as its coverage is expanded under the Affordable Care Act. In addition, subsidizing people who buy their health care insurance through health insurance exchange plans will increase government's bottom line, the report authors noted.

"By the end of the projection period, higher income growth and the continuing shift of baby boomers into Medicare are expected to cause health spending to grow roughly 2 percentage points faster than overall economic growth, which is about the same differential experienced over the past 30 years," the study authors concluded.

Some factors that may make it necessary to update these projections include the slow growth of the economy and the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, which is expected this month.

"Like everyone else, we are waiting to see what the Supreme Court finds," Keehan said. "We don't have any plans to redo the projections immediately following the decision, but those plans could change depending on what the decision is."

More information

For more about health care spending, visit the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Modest Health Care Spending Rise Expected for 2013: Report

TUESDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Health care spending in the United States from 2011 to 2013 is expected to grow 4 percent, which is slightly more than the historic low of 3.8 percent in 2009, government officials said Tuesday.

According to the experts at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), growth in health care spending by consumers remained sluggish in 2011 and that trend is expected to continue this year and next.

"We are expecting near-historic low growth in health spending for the first three years of our projection period," Sean Keehan, a senior economist in the CMS Office of the Actuary and lead author of the report, said during an early-afternoon press conference.

But in 2014, when all the facets of the Affordable Care Act go into effect, health care spending is expected to increase significantly, he added. "This is especially the case for prescription drugs and clinician clinical services," Keehan said.

"In addition, by 2021, the number of uninsured people is expected to be reduced by nearly 30 million," Keehan noted.

By 2021, health care spending is expected to be 19.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), up from 17.9 percent in 2010, according to the report published online June 12 and in the July print edition of Health Affairs.

Despite the slow rate in health spending growth seen during the recession and beyond, in 2014 health spending growth is expected to pick up and accelerate to 7.4 percent. This increase is largely due to the expansion of the Affordable Care Act, which will make medical care accessible for many more people, according to the report.

In addition, from 2011 through 2021, health care spending is expected to grow an average of 5.7 percent a year, which is 0.9 percent faster than the expected yearly increase in gross domestic product over that time.

And by 2021, federal, state and local government health care spending is expected to account for almost 50 percent of national health expenditures. That's up from 46 percent in 2011, with federal spending accounting for some two-thirds of the total government share, the researchers reported.

These rising costs are being driven by more baby boomers enrolling in Medicare and more people taking advantage of Medicaid as its coverage is expanded under the Affordable Care Act. In addition, subsidizing people who buy their health care insurance through health insurance exchange plans will increase government's bottom line, the report authors noted.

"By the end of the projection period, higher income growth and the continuing shift of baby boomers into Medicare are expected to cause health spending to grow roughly 2 percentage points faster than overall economic growth, which is about the same differential experienced over the past 30 years," the study authors concluded.

Some factors that may make it necessary to update these projections include the slow growth of the economy and the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, which is expected this month.

"Like everyone else, we are waiting to see what the Supreme Court finds," Keehan said. "We don't have any plans to redo the projections immediately following the decision, but those plans could change depending on what the decision is."

More information

For more about health care spending, visit the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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'Depressed' Mubarak's health worsens: report

The health of Egypt's ex-president Hosni Mubarak has deteriorated since his transfer to prison after he was sentenced to life in jail over the killing of protesters, the official news agency said Thursday.

Mubarak was suffering from "acute depression" and hypertension since his arrival at Tora prison, south of Cairo, where he has been held in a medical wing since the verdicts in his trial were delivered on Saturday, MENA reported.

The 84-year-old former strongman was sentenced to life for suppressing a revolt against his rule in early 2011 during which nearly 850 protesters were killed.

His interior minister Habib al-Adly was also given a life sentence, but six security chiefs were acquitted of the killings of demonstrators.

The prosecution had demanded the death penalty for Mubarak, and the verdict of life imprisonment sparked nationwide protests, with demonstrators again gathering at Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square to oppose what they saw as a lenient ruling.

On Tuesday, a security official had told AFP that Mubarak's health had deteriorated after his arrival at the prison, saying he had suffered a "emotional breakdown."

His health "is steadily deteriorating" and he had to have an oxygen mask at night to ease his troubled breathing, one of his lawyers said.

Mubarak "refuses to talk with doctors because of his severe depression, which complicates their work," she said, adding that he "exchanged a few words with his son Gamal" who has been transferred to the same prison to be closer to him.

Egyptian authorities have still not taken a decision on whether to transfer Mubarak to a military hospital as requested by his family, an official from the security services told AFP.

Since his ouster in February last year, there have been contradictory reports about Mubarak's health, with some saying he was suffering from cancer, heart ailments or depression.

Many people in Egypt believe such reports were aimed at generating sympathy for the ousted dictator.

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Report card on provincial health systems notes spotty progress for home care

OTTAWA - The latest report card on provincial health policy shows some improvement in offering home care and mental health services, but progress is spotty across the country.

The Health Council of Canada's 2012 progress report says the provinces are generally living up to their 2003 commitments to boost home care, increase the number of doctors and nurses, and develop indicators to show the public how well they are doing.

But the report says progress far from uniform across the country, and is underwhelming.

"The accords have not brought about the large-scale change that was envisioned when they were created," the report says.

The health council puts the blame on the vagueness of the 2003 agreements, and the emphasis on creating a common ground rather than pushing each jurisdiction toward improvement.

Instead of working together to share and implement great ideas, each province has worked by itself to meet poorly defined goals, the report says.

The health council questions whether the provinces are on solid enough footing to proceed with a meaningful plan for the future.

"While these accords were intended to deal with the health care challenges at the time, the country is still grappling with many of the same challenges today."

The provinces are in the midst of hashing out their own joint plan for the future of health care, now that the federal agreement has signalled it does not want to get deeply involved in such policy-setting.

The aim is for the provinces to pool their ideas on innovation so that each province can cut costs, improve service, and avoid creating a patchwork of public health-care services across the country.

When the 2004 accord expires in 2014, Ottawa will continue to increase its health transfers to the provinces for the next decade, but at a lower rate of increase, and with no strings attached.

Cash-strapped provinces are struggling to keep their health-care costs down, even as demand for technology soars, drug costs rise, and the population ages.

"In order to understand where Canada's health-care system should be headed, there must be an understanding of where it is today," the report says.

Specifically, the health council found that many provinces are implementing mental health strategies, but that they don't always include them in their plans for home care.

The council also found inconsistencies in the way provinces were providing coverage for end-of-life care.

The report also notes that the number of doctors grew 12 per cent from 2006 to 2010, while the number of nurses rose six per cent, and the number of pharmacists was up 16 per cent. But the report notes that provinces are challenged in dealing with the huge costs associated with human resources.

The territories also have major problems attracting and retaining health care professionals, the report says.

As for tele-health, the assessment found huge growth. Tele-health services have expanded by 35 per cent a year for the last five years, now encompassing 1,175 communities.

The report also notes a major shortage of national, comparable indicators that allow the public to easily compare one jurisdiction to another.

The council said the provinces would be wise to heed the findings of its report card, and previous assessments, as they strike out on their own to reform health care in Canada.

"Real progress is made when comprehensive strategies with concrete targets are put in place," said council chairman Dr. Jack Kitts.

"An improved approach to goal-setting and performance measurement in the health system will provide greater impetus to change and achieve higher levels of progress."

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Health Council of Canada releases annual progress report on health care renewal

Progress Report focuses on innovative practices that are achieving results

TORONTO, June 4, 2012 /CNW/ - Today, the Health Council of Canada releases Progress Report 2012: Health care renewal in Canada, highlighting the progress achieved by governments to date in five key areas: home and community care, health human resources, telehealth, access to care in the North, and comparable health indicators since the 2003 health accord was signed.

The report finds that, overall, provinces and territories have met most of what was expected of them in these five areas. They met their commitments to expand home care coverage, to increase the supply of health care providers, to expand use of telehealth services, to improve access to care in the North and to improve public reporting.

Key findings related to five of the accord commitments include:

Home and community care- Many provinces/territories have moved forward in expanding home and community care services. However, there is variability in access to home care throughout Canada. For example, progress on end-of-life care differs in terms of which services are covered in each jurisdiction.Health human resources- The supply of health care professionals in Canada has increased from 2006 to 2010. The number of physicians grew by 12% to almost 70,000.Telehealth- The use of telehealth has increased significantly by 35% annually over the last five years. In 2010, over 5700 telehealth sites were being used in close to 1,200 communities across the country.Access to care in the North- With additional federal funding in 2004 progress has been demonstrated within each of the three territories. However, all three territories face significant challenges in the recruitment and retention of health care professionals.Comparable health indicators- Each province and territory does its own reporting using their own set of indicators and performance reporting frameworks. There is a need for more comparable pan-Canadian reporting on health system performance.

Although, the report finds that most provincial and territorial governments met their commitments, it also questions whether it was enough to move health care forward. The evidence suggests that since the accords contained vague commitments with few targets, there was more emphasis on putting provinces and territories on similar footing than to push them towards achieving more change and advancements in health care delivery.

"Real progress is made when comprehensive strategies with concrete targets are put in place," said Dr. Jack Kitts, Chair of the Health Council of Canada. "An improved approach to goal-setting and performance measurement in the health system will provide greater impetus to change and achieve higher levels of progress."

The report found that the accords established a series of comparable health indicators for the provinces and territories to report on to the public beginning in 2004. However, comparable reporting only lasted a few years, largely because provinces and territories began to develop reporting frameworks to address their respective planning needs. As a result, the provinces and territories have not consistently reported on progress in the same manner, particularly in a way that is comparable and useful to other governments, the health system and the public. This lack of clear, consistent and comparable information about health system performance makes it challenging for agencies such as the Health Council to provide a national picture to Canadians on progress being made in health systems across Canada.

"What we found this year is that there is more work to be done, especially on comparable indicators. But there is good news. We found a wide array of innovative practices like telehealth services for First Nations in Manitoba or a model of care initiative in Nova Scotia, said John G. Abbott, CEO of the Health Council of Canada. "If practices like these are adopted more widely, they could accelerate progress across Canada."

Progress Report 2012: Health care renewal in Canada describes overall progress in Canada highlighting innovative practices from across Canada demonstrating how this progress has been achieved. The Health Council website provides additional details on the progress being achieved by each of the federal, provincial and territorial governments on these five themes. And, for the first time, the report includes activities from Alberta which recently joined the Health Council this year.

About the Health Council of Canada
Created by the 2003 First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal, the Health Council of Canada is an independent national agency that reports on the progress of health care renewal. The Council provides a system-wide perspective on health care reform in Canada, and disseminates information on innovative practices and innovation across the country. The Councillors are appointed by the participating provincial and territorial governments and the Government of Canada.

To read commentary from guest bloggers, including heath care users and health industry leaders, or to download the full report/appendix visit: www.healthcouncilcanada.ca.

Image with caption: "Progress report 2012: Health care renewal in Canada (CNW Group/Health Council of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120604_C5262_PHOTO_EN_14527.jpg

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U.S. Health Care Spending High, But Quality Lags: Report

THURSDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the fact that Americans spend more on their health care than citizens of 12 other developed nations, a new report finds that more does not necessarily equal better when it comes to quality of care.

The Commonwealth Fund report, led by senior research associate David Squires, revealed that the United States is shelling out roughly $8,000 per capita for health care, according to 2009 figures. By contrast, the Japanese and New Zealanders spend just one-third of that amount on health care, while Norwegians and the Swiss cough up about two-thirds.

Yet Americans now fare the worst in terms of preventable asthma fatalities among patients aged 5 to 39. The country also ranks poorly -- alongside Germany -- in diabetes-related amputations. As for in-hospital heart attack and stroke death rates, the United States stacks up as average at best.

"It is a common assumption that Americans get more health care services than people in other countries, but in fact we do not go to the doctor or the hospital as often," Squires said in a Commonwealth Fund news release. "The higher prices we pay for health care and perhaps our greater use of expensive technology are the more likely explanations for high health spending in the U.S. Unfortunately, we do not seem to get better quality for this higher spending."

Released on Thursday, the report analyzed health spending in Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, France, Canada, Germany, Norway, Japan, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States -- the only nation among those studied that does not provide universal health care.

The authors found that in 2009, the United States ranked No. 1 (followed by the Netherlands) in the proportion of its gross domestic product devoted to health care: a full 17 percent. By comparison, the other countries in the report spent 12 percent or less, with Japan ranking as the lowest spender at about 9 percent.

Despite their country's spending, Americans can expect poorer access to physicians than people in other industrialized nations, with just 2.4 doctors for every 100,000 citizens. On that score, only Japan fared worse, according to the report.

Other troubling indicators included the fact that Americans also have the second-worst rate of physician consultations (behind Sweden), relatively few hospital beds, fairly short hospital stays in acute-care situations and a low rate of hospital discharges.

It wasn't all bad news, however. The United States is No. 1 in survival rates among breast cancer patients. It also shares the top spot (with Norway) for survival rates among colorectal cancer patients.

But when it comes to both hospital and prescription drug costs, Americans are at the highest peak by far.

By the time a U.S. patient is discharged from a hospital, he or she will have cost the health care system about $18,000 on average. Care for a similar Canadian patient comes to just $13,000, while in many other countries (Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany) it dips below $10,000.

When comparing the cost of the 30 most common prescription medications, the report found that Americans are paying one-third more than Canadians and Germans, and twice as much as their Australian, French, Dutch, British and New Zealand counterparts.

Americans can take some solace in the report's observation that every nation in the study is battling a trend of ever-increasing health care costs. Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, noted that recent legislative changes have the potential to help improve the financials of health care across the country.

"The Affordable Care Act gives us the opportunity to build a health care system that delivers affordable, high-quality care to all Americans," Davis said in the news release. "To achieve that goal, the United States must use all of the tools provided by the law, including new methods of organizing, delivering and paying for health care, that will help to slow the growth of health care costs while improving quality."

More information

Visit the World Health Organization to learn about global health expenditure.

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Report: Rebates from health care law will top $1B

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 3 million health insurance policyholders and thousands of employers will share $1.3 billion in rebates this year, thanks to President Barack Obama's health care law, a nonpartisan research group said Thursday.

The rebates should average $127 for the people who get them, and Democrats are hoping they'll send an election-year message that Obama's much-criticized health care overhaul is starting to pay dividends for consumers. Critics of the law call that wishful thinking.

The law requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of the premiums they collect on medical care and quality improvement or return the difference to consumers and employers. Although many large employer plans already meet that standard, it's the first time the government has imposed such a requirement on the entire health insurance industry.

"This is one of the most tangible benefits of the health reform law that consumers will have seen to date," said Larry Levitt, an expert on private insurance with the Kaiser Family Foundation, which analyzed industry filings with state health insurance commissioners to produce its report. Kaiser is a nonpartisan information clearinghouse on the nation's health care system.

Still, health insurance is expensive, and $127 may not even pay a month's worth of premiums for single coverage.

And the insurance industry says consumers should take little comfort from the rebates because premiums are likely to go up overall as a result of new benefits and other requirements of the law.

"The net of all the requirements will be an increase in costs for consumers," said Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, the main industry trade group.

"Given that health care costs are inherently unpredictable, it's not surprising that some plans will be paying rebates to policyholders in certain markets," Zirkelbach added.

But the Kaiser report said the rebate requirement may be acting as a brake on the industry, discouraging insurers from seeking big premium increases to avoid having to issue refunds later and face possible criticism.

The new law has "provided an incentive for insurers to seek lower premium increases than they would have otherwise," the report said. "This 'sentinel' effect on premiums has likely produced more savings for consumers and employers than the rebates themselves."

The study found the largest rebates will go to consumers and employers in Texas ($186 million) and Florida ($149 million), where Govs. Rick Perry and Rick Scott have been among the staunchest opponents of the federal law. Both states applied for waivers from the 80 percent requirement and were turned down. Hawaii is the only state in which insurers are not expected to issue a rebate.

Here's how the rebates break down nationally:

More than 3 million individual policyholders will reap rebates of $426 million, averaging $127 apiece. These are consumers who are not covered through an employer and buy their policy directly. Consumers in Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Arizona are most likely to be eligible.

Insurance companies must notify policyholders, and the rebates are due by Aug. 1. Some companies have already begun to pay.

In the small-employer market, plans covering nearly 5 million people will receive rebates totaling $377 million.

Employers do not have to pass their rebates on to workers, and can also take them as a discount on next year's premiums.

Insurers serving large employers face a stiffer requirement. Under the law, they must spend 85 percent of premiums on medical costs. The study found that 125 plans covering 7.5 million people at large employers will give back a total of $541 million.

Most plans operated by major national employers are exempt from the requirement. The biggest companies usually set aside money to cover most of their workers' medical expenses. Typically they hire an insurer to administer their plan, but they do not buy full coverage from the insurer.

Separately, a Goldman Sachs report estimated insurers would pay rebates of $1.2 billion. Among major insurers, UnitedHealth would pay $307 million, Aetna $177 million, WellPoint $94 million and Coventry $50 million.

Supporters of the requirement say it will keep insures from padding their profits at the expense of unsuspecting consumers.

"Millions are benefiting because health insurance companies are spending less money on executive salaries and administrative costs and more on patient care," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., a leading advocate of the rebate provision.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the report shows how Obama's law is "already strengthening the health care system for millions of Americans."

Like everything else about the overhaul, the future of the rebates depends on whether the Supreme Court upholds the law in a decision expected by early summer.

Seventeen states applied for waivers from the 80 percent standard, producing evidence that it would destabilize their private health insurance markets. Federal regulators granted adjustments to seven states, usually meeting each state's request part way.

Data from the nation's most populous state, California, were not ready and thus were not included. Final statistics on the rebates will be issued by the federal government in early summer.

____

Online: Kaiser report - http://tinyurl.com/d2bcvxy

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Report: Health care law rebates to top $1B

WASHINGTON (AP) — Insurance companies will have to return more than $1 billion this year to consumers and businesses, thanks to a new requirement in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a report released Thursday concludes.

That's real money, says Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which analyzed industry filings with state insurance commissioners. The law requires insurers to spend at least 80 percent of the premiums they collect on medical care and quality improvements — or issue rebates to policyholders.

"This is one of the most tangible benefits of the health reform law that consumers will have seen to date," said Levitt, an expert on private health insurance. The nonpartisan foundation is an information clearinghouse on the nation's health care system, and its research is widely cited.

The report comes with a caveat. It lacks data on the nation's most populous state, California, because complete filings there were not available. Nonetheless, the analysis estimates that consumers and businesses in other states will receive rebates of $1.3 billion, in some cases in the form of a discount on next year's premiums.

The insurance industry says consumers should take little comfort from the rebates, because the companies expect premiums to go up overall as a result of new benefits and other requirements of the new law.

"The net of all the requirements will be an increase in costs for consumers," said Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, the main industry trade group.

"Given that health care costs are inherently unpredictable, it's not surprising that some plans will be paying rebates to policyholders in certain markets," Zirkelbach added.

But backers of the rebate requirement say it will keep the industry from padding its profits at the expense of unwitting consumers. They say an efficiently-run insurer should not have any problem earning a healthy return after devoting 80 percent of premiums to medical care. Indeed, the law sets an 85 percent requirement for plans that serve large employers.

"Millions are benefiting because health insurance companies are spending less money on executive salaries and administrative costs, and more on patient care," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., a leading advocate of the rebate provision.

The study found the largest rebates will go to consumers and employers in Texas ($186 million) and Florida ($149 million), where Govs. Rick Perry and Rick Scott, respectively, have been among the staunchest opponents of the federal law. Both states applied for waivers from the 80-percent requirement and were turned down. Hawaii is the only state in which insurers are not expected to issue a rebate.

Here's how the rebates break down nationally:

More than 3 million individual policyholders will reap rebates of $426 million, averaging $127 apiece. Consumers in Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Arizona are most likely to be eligible for the payments, due starting in August, from 215 insurance plans that did not meet the standards in the law.

In the small-employer market, plans covering nearly 5 million people will receive rebates totaling $377 million.

The study found that plans in the large employer market were more likely to be in compliance with the law's requirement. Nonetheless, 125 plans covering 7.5 million people reported to state regulators that they will give back a total of $541 million.

The report says the rebates are only one of the ways in which consumers may benefit from tighter scrutiny of the health insurance industry under the federal law, which provides funding for state regulators to monitor the companies more closely. Self-conscious insurers may be hesitating to push state regulators for premium increases as large as they were able to win in the past.

"This 'sentinel' effect on premiums has likely produced more savings for consumers and employers than the rebates themselves," the report said.

Fly-speck scrutiny of the insurance industry won't solve the problem of rising health care costs, the report acknowledged, but it "can help to ensure that consumers and businesses get greater value for their premium dollar."

The numbers in the report are estimates. Final totals won't be issued by the federal government until early summer.

Seventeen states applied for waivers from the 80-percent standard, producing evidence that it would destabilize their private health insurance markets. Federal regulators granted adjustments to seven states, usually meeting each state's request part way.

The future of the rebate requirement is uncertain, pending a decision by the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of Obama's law.

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CORHIO, Colorado Health Care Leaders Issue Report on Strategies to Integrate Behavioral and Physical Health Through ...

DENVER, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As a measure to improve integration of behavioral and physical health, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) partnered with a multi-stakeholder behavioral health Steering Committee, and solicited feedback from communities across Colorado, to create a report with recommendations and future strategies for effective inclusion of behavioral health in health information exchange (HIE). The report was written as part of the CORHIO Behavioral Health Information Exchange Project with support from Rose Community Foundation.

The report is now available on the CORHIO website at www.corhio.org.

"Unfortunately, there is still a stigma associated with mental health conditions and some people fear that their diagnosis may fall into the wrong hands and will be used against them," says Amanda Kearney-Smith, director of the Colorado Mental Wellness Network and member of the project's Steering Committee. "We have to be sure to strike a careful balance between protecting individual privacy with the need to have comprehensive information available for high-quality health care treatment and services."

To solicit information for the report, CORHIO helped facilitate six meetings in communities across Colorado, which were chosen to represent a broad cross-section of perspectives and attitudes regarding HIE. A total of 124 consumers, physicians, and other behavioral health stakeholders were in attendance to discuss the concerns, opportunities and priorities of exchanging behavioral health information. The meetings took place in collaboration with community mental health centers and other behavioral health community organizations, so participants could feel comfortable and have open and honest dialogue.

A few key points that came out of the community discussions include:

Consumers expressed significant interest in having access to their health information within the HIE.Both physicians and patients expressed significant concerns, such as privacy issues and inappropriate use of information.Behavioral health stakeholders agree that better information sharing can lead to better outcomes for individuals and populations receiving behavioral health care.Participants expressed they would have more comfort with information sharing if there were more choice about which information would be shared with whom. Current models of all-in or all-out information sharing do not seem to meet the needs of this community.Across all six events, only one participant felt that better information sharing was not needed.

Studies have shown that the average life expectancy for those with serious mental illness ranges from 13 to 30 years less than the rest of the population.[1] Much of this can be attributed to fragmented, inconsistent, and episodic care. Individuals requiring behavioral health services have a unique need for integrated care due to frequent use of the healthcare system and a greater need to coordinate care among diverse providers. However, today, behavioral health care services are not well integrated with physical or medical care. According to the CORHIO report, nearly 90 percent of participants surveyed agree that behavioral health should be considered a part of a person's overall health care.

"HIE is an invaluable tool for the behavioral health community because it enables information to truly follow consumers through the entire treatment path, across a variety of care settings. It provides immediate access to vital patient information which reduces the chance that a consumer will experience a drug interaction or other medical complication and improves the overall consumer experience as they navigate the health care system," said CORHIO Policy Director, Liza Fox-Wylie. "CORHIO remains committed to working with the behavioral health and physical health communities to improve care coordination and population health outcomes through HIE, while protecting patients' rights to privacy."

CORHIO is developing an action plan based on the results and recommendations in this report, including working with project Steering Committee members and other stakeholder organizations on consumer, provider and policymaker education and working with CORHIO's technology partner, Medicity, to improve the robustness of HIE technology to support more granular options for patient choice regarding which information is shared with whom.

In September 2010, the Rose Community Foundation awarded CORHIO a two-year grant to support the Behavioral Health and Health Information Exchange Project, which funded the creation of CORHIO's behavioral health report. "Individuals' physical health, mental health and substance use are closely intertwined," said Whitney Connor, Rose Community Foundation's health program officer. "Provider access to timely information about their patients' medical and behavioral health is critical to delivering effective care."

About CORHIO
CORHIO is dedicated to improving health care quality for all Coloradans through health information exchange (HIE). As the state designated entity for HIE, CORHIO collaborates with health care stakeholders including physicians, hospitals, clinics, public health, long-term care, laboratories, health plans and patients to improve care collaboration through secure systems and processes for sharing clinical information. CO-REC, a CORHIO initiative, assists primary care providers in adopting, implementing and becoming meaningful users of electronic health record (EHR) systems. CORHIO is a not-for-profit supported in large part by grants, including awards from the Colorado Health Foundation and from federal ARRA HITECH funds. CORHIO's technical infrastructure is built on industry-leading HIE technology developed and maintained by Medicity.  For more information about CORHIO, please visit www.corhio.org.

[1] Colton CW, Manderscheid RW. Congruencies in increased mortality rates, years of potential life lost, and causes of death among public mental health clients in eight states. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2006 Apr. URL: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/apr/05_0180.htm.

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Credit Repair - Tips on How you can Dispute the Errors in your Credit Report

http://www.ezcreditrepairsolutions.com/ - Disputing the errors in your report also prevents you from taking unneeded bad credit repair services. Most people who receive low scores due to inaccuracies do not challenge the report they receive. Instead they seek bad credit repair advice so that they can improve their credit rating. But in doing so, they waste their time and money on something that is entirely unnecessary. On the other hand, by contesting the errors in your report, you can have them removed from your records for free.

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Credit Repair Report - How To Improve Your Credit Score - Free Credit Score Insider

http://ClickHereForMore.info/credit-repair-report-video - Watch the rest of the credit repair report video. Learn how to improve your credit score. Kick ass advice by free credit score insider.

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Credit Repair Report - How To Improve Your Credit Score - Free Credit Score Insider

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Credit Repair Report - How To Improve Your Credit Score - Free Credit Score Insider

http://ClickHereForMore.info/credit-repair-report-video - Watch the rest of the credit repair report video. Learn how to improve your credit score. Kick ass advice by free credit score insider.

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Health group sounds alarm over upcoming Drummond report on Ontario cost-cutting

TORONTO - A public health advocacy group is accusing the Ontario government of manufacturing a crisis to justify billions of dollars in health-care cuts expected in the highly anticipated Drummond report.

The Ontario Health Coalition issued a report Friday in a pre-emptive strike against the long-awaited blueprint for tackling the province's deficit.

The government's restructuring plans contain serious costing errors and inadequacies that put Ontario's most vulnerable patients at risk, the organization said.

But Health Minister Deb Matthews said health care remains a priority in the province.

"Ontario families can rest assured that we are not reducing health spending," she said Friday.

The advocacy group's director said information surrounding the Drummond report and the changes that will follow has been presented in a "very manipulative" way.

"Almost all of the government's PR messages have been about creating a crisis to justify major restructuring and cuts," Natalie Mehra said. "But the truth is that health-care spending is not actually out of control."

The coalition's data show Ontario's health spending is among the lowest in the country in terms of the amount spent per person and the proportion of provincial gross domestic product.

The province spent $3,911.7 per person on health care in 2010, the data show. Meanwhile, the other provinces spent an average of $4,351.

The Drummond Commission report on reforming Ontario's government to trim a $16-billion deficit will be released Feb. 15.

Former TD Bank economist Don Drummond was hired by the Liberals to review all government programs and services and find ways of lowering costs.

Drummond told Premier Dalton McGuinty last fall that Ontario would have to cap the overall increase in government spending at one per cent a year until the deficit is eliminated in 2017-18.

The Liberals hope to cap the growth in health spending at three per cent, but it eats up 42 per cent of every dollar so that could mean cuts of up to 30 per cent in some ministries.

Matthews reaffirmed those plans Friday when asked about the coalition's report.

"Health spending will continue to grow but the fiscal challenge demands that the rate of increase will slow significantly," she said in a statement.

Drummond has also mused about eliminating OHIP coverage of some medical procedures and operations, and warned many of his several hundred recommendations will be unpopular.

But Mehra argued dwindling revenue, rather than rampant spending, is hobbling the health-care system.

Deep tax cuts are depriving the province of much-needed funds, she said.

"It means that we can't afford services we need and it means there's already a big backlog of patients with urgent and unmet health-care needs that is only going to get worse if we continue to cut services," she said.

Closing a loophole in the Employer Health Tax would create a "more equitable funding system" that could generate $2.4 billion per year to help alleviate some of the cost pressures in the health system, the report reads.

Drummond's talk of sweeping reform has stirred some apprehension over his upcoming recommendations.

Fuelling those fears is the lack of transparency surrounding the decision process, said NDP health critic France Gelinas, noting health-care workers haven't been consulted.

"People in the health-care field are on pins and needles right now," she said.

Media reports Friday suggested all-day kindergarten — a program the premier considers one of his crowning achievements — could be on the chopping block.

The province's elementary school teachers were quick to pan the possibility, saying it would be "short-sighted and counterproductive."

A spokesman for the minister of education said that while officials look forward to Drummond's advice, "the government will be moving forward with its own plan."

Meanwhile, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak has said it's time for the Liberals to stop hiding behind Drummond and start taking real steps to reduce the size and cost of government.

Hudak wants a legislated public sector wage freeze to save money and has said the government should also shut down Local Health Integration Networks and the Ontario Power Authority.

View the original article here

Health-care advocates slam Drummond report

A public health advocacy group is accusing the Ontario government of manufacturing a crisis to justify billions of dollars in health-care cuts expected in the highly anticipated Drummond report.

The Ontario Health Coalition issued a report Friday in a pre-emptive strike against the long-awaited blueprint for tackling the province's deficit.

The government's restructuring plans contain serious costing errors and inadequacies that put Ontario's most vulnerable patients at risk, the organization said.

'The truth is that health-care spending is not actually out of control.'—Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition

But Health Minister Deb Matthews said health care remains a priority in the province.

"Ontario families can rest assured that we are not reducing health spending," she said Friday.

The advocacy group's director said information surrounding the Drummond report and the changes that will follow has been presented in a "very manipulative" way.

"Almost all of the government's PR messages have been about creating a crisis to justify major restructuring and cuts," Natalie Mehra said. "But the truth is that health-care spending is not actually out of control."

The coalition's data show Ontario's health spending is among the lowest in the country in terms of the amount spent per person and the proportion of provincial gross domestic product.

The province spent $3,911.7 per person on health care in 2010, the data show. Meanwhile, the other provinces spent an average of $4,351.

The Drummond Commission report on reforming Ontario's government to trim a $16-billion deficit will be released Feb. 15.

Former TD Bank economist Don Drummond was hired by the Liberals to review all government programs and services and find ways of lowering costs.

Drummond told Premier Dalton McGuinty last fall that Ontario would have to cap the overall increase in government spending at one per cent a year until the deficit is eliminated in 2017-18.

The Liberals hope to cap the growth in health spending at three per cent, but it eats up 42 per cent of every dollar so that could mean cuts of up to 30 per cent in some ministries.

Matthews reaffirmed those plans Friday when asked about the coalition's report.

"Health spending will continue to grow but the fiscal challenge demands that the rate of increase will slow significantly," she said in a statement.

Drummond has also mused about eliminating OHIP coverage of some medical procedures and operations, and warned many of his several hundred recommendations will be unpopular.

But Mehra argued dwindling revenue, rather than rampant spending, is hobbling the health-care system.

Deep tax cuts are depriving the province of much-needed funds, she said.

"It means that we can't afford services we need and it means there's already a big backlog of patients with urgent and unmet health-care needs that is only going to get worse if we continue to cut services," she said.

Closing a loophole in the Employer Health Tax would create a "more equitable funding system" that could generate $2.4 billion per year to help alleviate some of the cost pressures in the health system, the report reads.

Drummond's talk of sweeping reform has stirred some apprehension over his upcoming recommendations.

Fuelling those fears is the lack of transparency surrounding the decision process, said NDP health critic France Gelinas, noting health-care workers haven't been consulted.

"People in the health-care field are on pins and needles right now," she said.

Media reports Friday suggested all-day kindergarten — a program the premier considers one of his crowning achievements — could be on the chopping block.

The province's elementary school teachers were quick to pan the possibility, saying it would be "short-sighted and counterproductive."

A spokesman for the minister of education said that while officials look forward to Drummond's advice, "the government will be moving forward with its own plan."

Meanwhile, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak has said it's time for the Liberals to stop hiding behind Drummond and start taking real steps to reduce the size and cost of government.

Hudak wants a legislated public sector wage freeze to save money and has said the government should also shut down Local Health Integration Networks and the Ontario Power Authority.

View the original article here

Report: Electronic health records still need work

WASHINGTON (AP) — America may be a technology-driven nation, but the health care system's conversion from paper to computerized records needs lots of work to get the bugs out, according to experts who spent months studying the issue.

Hospitals and doctors' offices increasingly are going digital, the Bipartisan Policy Center says in a report released Friday. But there's been little progress getting the computer systems to talk to one another, exchanging data the way financial companies do.

"The level of health information exchange in the U.S. is extremely low," the report says.

At the consumer level, few people maintain a personal health record on their laptop or electronic tablet, partly due to concerns about privacy, security and accuracy that the government hasn't resolved.

"How will sensitive health data be kept confidential and secure in digital data-sharing environments?" the report asks. "Many consumers ... are waiting for a reassuring answer to this question."

The report offers a window on progress toward a goal set by President Barack Obama, and President George W. Bush before him, that everyone in the United States should have an electronic medical record by 2014.

While making no predictions, the report offers a collection of details indicating that the goal is a long shot at best.

"Will 100 percent of our nation have electronic health records by 2014?" asked Janet Marchibroda, who directs the center's health technology initiative. "I would say getting to that last mile is difficult." She expects the majority of hospitals and doctors to meet the goal, but it's another matter when it comes to consumers.

In politically polarized Washington, the center tries to tackle national problems from a pragmatic perspective. The report, more than six months in the making, was produced by a panel representing hospitals, doctors, insurers, consumers and technology companies. The review was led by two former senators with ties to the health care industry, Democrat Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Republican Bill Frist of Tennessee.

Electronic medical records are seen as a crucial component in creating a system that's more efficient and less prone to error. The government has committed up to $30 billion to encourage this shift, mostly through incentive payments to hospitals and doctors that were authorized in 2009 under Obama's economic stimulus law. Payments started flowing last year.

The report found that 5 percent of eligible doctors received payments last year, while about 33 percent had registered with the government that they intend to qualify.

Overall, about one-third of doctors' offices had some form of electronic records last year, compared with one-fourth in 2010.

Among hospitals, 32 percent received the incentive payments last year, the report said, while 61 percent notified the government they intend to qualify.

Those are signs of momentum, but the report found little progress in devising ways for the different computer systems to communicate with each other.

Part of the problem is that there isn't much financial incentive for competing health care providers to share information.

If an emergency room orders a test on a patient that a family doctor had run a week ago, the hospital gets paid for it. If the emergency room doctor relies on the test results from the family doctor, that's less revenue for the hospital.

"Health information exchange will not occur at optimal levels ... without a viable, sustainable business model," the report said.

Only from 7 percent to 11 percent of individuals have a personal electronic medical record. Some early adopters still run into problems with basic tasks such as downloading test results, renewing prescriptions online or scheduling appointments.

The report also says the government must address gaps in privacy protections. For example, a federal health privacy law that applies to hospitals, doctors, insurers and data transmission companies doesn't apply to companies that market electronic medical records directly to the public.

"This uneven coverage of federal health privacy law can be confusing for consumers and contributes to reluctance," the report said.

____

Online:

Bipartisan Policy Center report: http://tinyurl.com/86vgum3

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