"In Case You Missed It" Healthcare Daily Digest for Thursday, 13 December

On Her Way to Triple Threat: US Senate majority Democrats handed out their class schedules/committee assignments (“Ugh, PE after lunch? I’m totally throwing up.”) and Freshman Senator Elizabeth Warren will now sit on the Banking Committee, as expected, but also on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee — which comes as a bit of a curveball. Or would have if anyone was paying attention to that. Any news search on “Elizabeth Warren” and “committee assignments” shows a TON of material about the consumer-friendly Warren’s seat on the Banking Committee (and also several articles about committees she’s not sitting on — like Committee on Indian Affairs for instance), but little noise at all about her appointment to what is commonly called the HELP Committee. Warren’s pro-consumer, pro-tight-regulation stance on the financial front is well-known and well-earned, and while her appointment to the Banking Committee is noteworthy, there are likely few surprises as to the kind of member she’ll be. But her appointment to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is more of an unknown — though some guesses can be hazarded. “Healthcare Industry” and “Reform” go hand in hand in both the media and public opinion; Warren’s influence will be interesting to track.

Other healthcare news you might have missed around the Internet:

Bi-partisan Support on Medicaid?: The Associated Press suggests that there might be the glimmerings of bi-partisan action and support in the state of Nevada. “State Senate Republican leaders lined up Wednesday to back Gov. Brian Sandoval’s decision to expand Medicaid eligibility for Nevada’s poorest residents, while Democrats and advocates for the needy expressed cautious support until more details emerge.”

What Would You Do?: Here’s a chance to see if you’re really the Ann Landers/Abigail Van Buren (readers under 30, find an adult to explain to you who those two terrific ladies are) of the office. Over on blogheads.com, a reader has posted an ethical query on patient bad debt. Read the two scenarios, check out some of the responses, and see where your own advice falls on the spectrum of answers.

I Never Even Knew I Had That Parachute!: Over on Healthcare Finance News, you can read about how many patients with high-deductible health plans remain unaware of benefits. “Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research surveyed 456 Northern California-based respondents who had consumer-directed health plans and found that fewer than one in five understood that their plan exempted preventative office visits, medical tests and screenings from their deductible.”

Office Theft: Paperclips? Sure. Patient Information? Not So Much.: A Lufkin, Texas, woman received five years probation for helping herself to protected health information like patient names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.

HIPAA Violation or Not?: AllNurses.com has a message board for consumers and nurses, which is where we found this particular post about what might or might not constitute a HIPAA violation. When thinking through aspects of HIPAA compliance, working through hypotheticals can solidify your office’s plan.

Perfect for the Hypochondriac on Your Gift-Giving List: Hoping to ease the tension between patients who know everything and doctors who only went through eight years of intense schooling, Isabel Healthcare has unveiled an online symptom checker that they hope will help patients and doctors work together to find the proper diagnosis.

Guess Who’s Paying More With Less?: If you guessed “pretty much everyone” then, you win! According to a report from the Commonwealth Fund, “Costs for health insurance are ascending faster than [consumers'] pay.” The report then adds, unnecessarily snidely, “Unfortunately, the increased costs aren’t resulting in superior service, according to the study.”

ICD-10 Codes: The impossible-to-say-quickly PhysBizTech.com has 6 steps to help you prepare for the more detailed ICD-10 code set.

From the Department of Yay?: “Missouri hospitals provided a record level of uncompensated care in 2011 — $1.1 billion, according to a report from the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA).”

GAO Recommendations on End-Stage Renal Disease Drugs: “Congress should consider requiring the Secretary of HHS to rebase the ESRD bundled payment rate as soon as possible and on a periodic basis thereafter, using the most current available data.”

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