IT Saves $3 Billion in VA Health System from MedPage Today

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By John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today

The Department of Veterans Affairs' long-term investment in healthcare information technology paid off at a rate of more than $500 million in net annual benefits from 2001 to 2007, researchers said.

That added up to more than $3 billion in benefits for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during the study period, after an initial billion-dollar loss.

In particular, the department's computerized patient record system "was the dominant contributor to both benefits and costs in our analysis," wrote Colene M. Byrne, PhD, and colleagues at the Center for Information Technology Leadership in Charlestown, Mass., in the April issue of Health Affairs.
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Can Value Based Insurance Be Cost Effective

by Chris Fleming

A Web First article published January 21 by Health Affairs reports new evidence that value-based insurance design (VBID) programs, in which patients pay little or no copayment fees for high value health care services, can break even, or even save money. The results, reported by Harvard’s Michael Chernew and coauthors, came from analysis of data from one large corporation that implemented a VBID program in 2005. Copayment rates were reduced for employees using five classes of drugs used to treat several serious but common chronic conditions, including diabetes and hypertension.

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Higher hospital spending linked to better outcomes - American Medical News

Bucking a widely accepted correlation between health spending and patient outcomes, a recent study finds hospitals that spend more than average may be getting better results.
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Medical News: ACR: Saving Knees from OA May Break the Bank - in Meeting Coverage, ACR from MedPage Today

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By John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today

Drugs intended to prevent osteoarthritis of the knee can realistically be cost-effective only if the annual expense per patient is substantially less than $1,000, researchers said here.

The limit was identified by computer modeling using multiple data inputs and the World Health Organization's reference standard for cost-effectiveness of $144,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) in the U.S., said Elena Losina, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
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Assessment of Administration on Aging (AoA)- Funded Fall Prevention Programs for Older Adults

CDC received OMB approval for Control number 0920–0818 to collect data for the Cost and Follow-up Assessment of Fall Prevention Programs. This approval expires on 7/31/10. At this time CDC is requesting a two year extension to collect data.

NCIPC seeks to examine cost of implementing each of the three AoA funded fall prevention programs for older adults (Stepping On, Moving for Better Balance and Matter of Balance)and to assess the maintenance of fall prevention behaviors among participants six months after completing the Matter of Balance program.

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Systematic review of respite care in the frail elderly

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This research is designed to assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of breaks in care in improving the well-being of informal carers of frail and disabled older people living in the community and to identify carer needs and barriers to uptake of respite services.

The questions addressed by the review are as follows.
1. How effective and cost-effective are respite interventions compared with no respite or other interventions?
2. What is the impact of respite interventions on care recipients?
3. What are the barriers to uptake of respite care?
4. What are carers’ expressed needs in relation to respite care?

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