Tuesday, August 2, 2022 | The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs
Dear John,
Tomorrow, join Health Affairs for a Policy Spotlight with Robert Califf, the Biden-appointed Commissioner of the FDA, from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. ET. Register today!
Administrative Costs
In the United States, commercial health insurers, as well as Medicare and Medicaid, each have their own rules regarding
filing and documenting claims for payment.
This adds up to significant financial costs and presents a burden on health care providers who rely upon staff and technology to navigate the complex system.
Collectively, administrative costs have been estimated to consume approximately 25–31 percent of total US health care spending—at least a few hundred billion dollars each year. However, in other countries, this figure is much lower.
In their article in the August issue of Health Affairs, the authors write, "Billing costs range from a low of $6 in Canada for a nonsurgical inpatient bill to a high of $215 in the US for an inpatient surgical bill."
Richman also appears on today’s episode of A Health Podyssey, diving deeper into the research findings and the policy implications with Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil.
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Elsewhere At Health Affairs
Today in Health Affairs
Forefront, Theresa Kudlick writes about pediatric "off-label" medications.
Kudlick argues that the public should know that what pediatric practitioners do is evidence-based even when ethical or financial concerns prevent the clinical trials required for full FDA approval.
Mahil
Senathirajah and coauthors describe the use of a hospital-level social needs index to identify social needs characteristics for prioritizing social determinants of health investments and supporting intervention design.
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Barak Richman On The Heavy Costs Of Health Care Coding
Barak Richman from Duke University joins Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil to discuss how insurance-related health spending in the United States compares to that in other countries.
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