Stimulus funds lag health woes - Austin Business Journal:

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That’s the view of the eight-memberd panel of industry and medical experts who were invited by the Southb Florida Business Journal to share their views of whatthe $787 billiojn federal stimulus package means to the health care sector. What emergedf was a broad discussion of how stimuluse legislation is just one piecwe of change needed in an industruy that has run financially amok due to an overreliancewon specialists, shortfalls in information technologyu and patients who are undereducated. The Congressional Budgetr Office has projected that total national spending on healtbh care could hit 48 percent of gross domestiv product by 2050 ifleft unchecked.
To solver this problem will takemore money, in the short term. The Obama administration’s $59 billio n for health care stimulus spendinyincludes $19 billion for electronic health care Starting in 2011, doctors who can show meaningfuol use of electronic medical records will get incentivezs – and those who don’ty will get declining Medicare But, the old-fashioned general practitioner may also have a big Linda Quick, president of the , said health care reform legislation that coincidexs with the stimulus calls for individuals to have a home locatiojn or a primary care provider.
She said that allows for “as community location close to home and getting more done in a actually high clinicaltechnology setting.” in turn, will also translats into a less costly location, the panelists said. Rache l Sapoznik, CEO of , said: “Thes reason I believe in the last 25 years of seeing healtn care costs rise dramatically is we have movedr away from the primary care physicia knowing the patient to Patients go from specialis t to specialist to get each ailment but an overview of their condition and family historhyis lacking. George executive VP and chief administrative officerat , “Piggybacking on primary care is absolutely right.
All these specialties are adding thousands and thousand sof dollars.” One problem is that specialists tend to overdlo tests because they are so worriesd about legal liability he said. Dr. Tony Prieto, a familgy practitioner and president of the Broward County Medical said reimbursement issues for tests done in his offic alsofrustrate him. A hospital might get $2,00 0 for a test from but he can onlyget $200. “kI don’t think it’s anythinf that’s going to work unlessx we use somecommonj sense,” he said.
Foyo said primary care physicianse historically put an emphasis on healthpreventiohn efforts, but the lack of it these days is contributing to an epidemi c of diabetes and heart Baptist Health, which is well known for hospital in Kendall and Homestead, is pushing forwarsd with outpatient centers – and even venturinbg into Broward County. One reason is emergency rooms are and providing care there is more costly than at anoutpatient “Rather than have patients come to us, the hospitalsx are going out to Foyo said.
Florida’s 51 nonprofit community health centerws aregetting $28 million in competitive grants undef the stimulus legislation, which will also keep patient s out of expensive hospital settings for treatment. Houses Speaker Nancy Pelosi highlighted that during an Aprikl visit to a community health center in Hollywood that willget $1.5 millio to open a satellite health centef in West Park. One of the advantagesd for these types of centers is that they are fundedf with the assumption that their doors will be open to all who which is important because of the number of uninsuredSouth Floridians, including undocumented foreigners, Quick said. Dr.
meet Bill Gates Mark Sterling, administrative partnef at the law firm ofin Miami, said electronicc medical records (EMR) fall under the category of “shovel-ready” projects in the worls of stimulus – meaninh the technology exists and can be adopted rapidly to put mone in the economy.