Survey Says: Yes to Home Care, No to CMS Pilot
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is out-of-touch with most Americans’ views on health care.
A new Morning Consult survey shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the CMS pilot program to require prior authorizations and increase patients’ out of pocket costs. The online survey, conducted in conjunction with Bring the Vote Home, sampled 2,001 registered voters.
Among the major findings:
- 89 percent of respondents favor Medicare coverage of home healthcare services.
- 56 percent of respondents are less likely to support the pilot program when told prior authorization could increase out-of-pocket costs.
- 70 percent of voters believe the country has gotten off on the wrong track.
Check out the entire survey by clicking here.
Long Shifts, Greater Risk
Medical residents working to exhaustion are putting patients at risk, says Dr. Tejal K. Gandhi, president and CEO of the nonprofit National Patient Safety Foundation.
Writing at Stat News, Dr. Gandhi argues that long shifts are responsible for errors and mishaps that harm patients’ health. In 2011, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) limited resident work schedules to 80 hours per week, averaged over four-week periods. First-year residents are limited to 16-hour shifts, and second year residents can work 24 hours straight.
“Five years on, we are seeing some early effects of these limits,” Dr. Gandhi writes. “One consequence has been an increase in handoffs — when a resident at the end of a shift must hand off the care of his or her patients to other health care providers. Miscommunication during handoffs is a common problem that introduces the potential for errors and puts patients at risk.”
Follow Friday: Stacey L. Worthy of Aimed Alliance
Collective action is the cornerstone of how Patients Rising addresses the education and advocacy needs of patients seeking access to quality care for a serious disease or illness. That’s why we’re highlighting some of the outstanding organizations and individuals that represent the best in patient advocacy.
Today’s spotlight: Alliance for the Adoption of Innovations in Medicine.
Aimed Alliance, as it’s more commonly known, promotes the improvement of health care in the United States by supporting the development of and access to safe and novel, evidence-based treatments and technologies.
In recent months, you may have caught Aimed Alliance’s director of public policy, Stacey L. Worthy, as one of our all-star panelists. She provides unique legal insight through research and analysis of laws, regulations, and legislation; manages advocacy initiatives; provides policy analysis and drafting; oversees coalition-building efforts of allied organizations focused on advancing common goals; and issues briefs and news releases. A frequent author of scholarly articles, Stacey shares ways that policymakers can improve access to and transparency around quality, patient-centered health care.
Follow Aimed Alliance and Stacey on Twitter.
