Rural home care provider makes expansion moves

A provider network of home health and hospice services has entered a partnership with the University of Tennessee Medical Center to expand its area of delivery to 26 counties in Tennessee. LHC Group, Inc. will oversee the operations of the services. In a separate transaction, LHC Group has acquired 100 percent interest in the assets of New Martinsville, W.Va.-based Wetzel County Home Care. The total potential Medicare-based revenue for LHC Group in these two areas is estimated at $5.4 million annually.

Health courts a solution to medical liability issues

In an effort to bring more clarity and perspective into medical liability lawsuit decisions, physician advocates are touting “health courts” as an alternative to state courts. Health courts are a promising reform proposal, the American Medical Association said. The courts, which would be overseen by judges trained in medical standards, would aim to determine more accurately whether malpractice occurred in a liability lawsuit. AMA praised California’s malpractice reform laws, which include capping non-economic damages at $250,000, but said health courts are another compelling option for many states.

CMS touts progress in physician P4P demo

All 10 of the physician groups participating in the three-year Medicare Physician Group Practice Demonstration have generated savings while improving the clinical management of diabetes patients, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced. The demonstration, which began in April 2005, allows physicians to share in the cost savings generated by their performance on specific practice measures. Two of the physician groups – Marshfield Clinic and University of Michigan Faculty Group Practice – earned a $7.3 million share of $9.5 million in savings to Medicare.

Study finds patient e-mail reduces office visits

Patients are 7 percent to 10 percent less likely to engage in office visits if they communicate with physicians via e-mail, a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research has found. Published in the American Journal of Managed Care, the study contends that such communication is preferable because it is more efficient and convenient for both the patient and physician. The study also found that patients using e-mail make 14 percent fewer phone calls to physician practices than patients who don’t use e-mail.