CMS Publishes 30-Day Mortality Rates for AMI, HF

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Hospital Compare Web site now features 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rates for AMI (heart attack), heart failure and pneumonia for every U.S. hospital for the last two years. The mortality rates used for comparison rely on Medicare claims and enrollment information. The rates account for patient deaths within 30 days of hospital admission, for any cause and regardless of whether the death occurs at the hospital or after discharge. The mortality rates are adjusted to reflect the characteristics of the hospital and the health of its patients. The calculated rates are the “government’s best attempt to create apples-to-apples comparisons between small rural hospitals, suburban hospitals, and large and mid-sized urban medical centers,” says Barry Straub, M.D., CMS’ chief medical officer. For more information, view the CMS Web site here or view a USA Today interactive map with the mortality rates here.

FDA Finalizes Labeling Rule

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on Aug. 22 finalized a rule that allows drug and device manufacturers to submit supplemental applications, or “changes being effected (CBE) supplements,” for revisions to labeling for approved products to reflect new information or strengthen or weaken existing information if sufficient evidence of a causal association with the product exists. In January, the proposed rule came under fire from several congressional Democrats, who questioned if the rule was designed to protect pharmaceutical and device companies from consumer liability and said there was no public health basis to make the rule necessary. FDA said that the rule supports its “longstanding position” that CBE supplements are appropriate to amend labeling to reflect newly acquired information. FDA also said it does not consider the rule to be a policy change and does not change the agency’s current practices in regards to accepting or rejecting labeling changes as proposed in a CBE supplement. The rule is effective Sept. 22 and is available for viewing in the Federal Register.

Uninsured Will Pay $30B in 2008, Study Finds

Uninsured U.S. residents will spend $30 billion in out-of-pocket costs in 2008 and receive $56 billion in uncompensated care, according to a new study appearing in the Web edition of Health Affairs. According to the study, conducted by researchers at George Mason University and the Urban Institute, individuals who are uninsured for the entirety of 2008 will incur medical costs of $1,686 per person and pay 35 percent of these costs, or $583. Privately insured individuals will incur medical costs of $3,915 and pay 17 percent of these costs, or $681. The study also examined which facilities and payers provide and pay for uncompensated care. Researchers found that, in 2008, hospitals will provide $35 billion in uncompensated care, while community-based providers will provide $14.6 billion and office-based physicians will provide $7.8 billion. Medicare and Medicaid will pay for $18 billion-worth of uncompensated care, while $15 billion will be spent by the states, and $10 billion will be paid by the Veterans Health Association, the Indian Health Service, community health centers and other similar programs, according to the study. The study is available in full on the Health Affairs Web site here.

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Obama Considers Health Care as First Priority, If Elected

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is considering health care reform as his first priority if elected. However, compared to his other top priority, climate change, health care reform would be a bigger challenge, both conceptually and politically, and could take longer to complete. This makes it less likely to be his first priority, according to the Journal. At the state level, Rishi K. Saxena, M.D., F.A.C.C., an interventional cardiologist in Murfreesboro, Tenn., has won the Democratic nomination for the 34th District in the Tennessee state Legislature. As part of his platform, Dr. Saxena is campaigning to make health care affordable to all state residents.