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Vimo - Comparison Shopping for Health Health Shopper - The Vimo Newsletter,November 2006, Number 2

History Corner

The first modern group health insurance plan was formed in 1929. A group of teachers in Dallas, Texas, contracted with Baylor Hospital for room, board, and medical services in exchange for a monthly fee. In 1932, two non-profit organizations called “The Blue Cross” and “The Blue Shield” rolled out their own group health plans. These plans were successful because they negotiated significant discounts from doctors and hospitals in advance, in return for promises of increased volume and prompt payment.

Quotable Quote

“What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?

”

–Erma Bombeck,
‘No One Diets on Thanksgiving’

PunditSpeak

“Before even the smartest patient can think about finding the right doctor, or finding the best hospital, or deciding which prescription drug to take — before making any medical move at all—there's one question that we all need to ask. And sometimes we don't like the answer. What will my health insurance allow me to do?” —Michael F. Roizen, M.D., with Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., from ‘You: The Smart Patient ’

CEO's Desk

“ Vimo is offering its users free iPod-ready music downloads from major recording artists as a gift for reviewing a doctor.” — Chini, CEO, Vimo

Good health and good music often go hand in hand. As Hal A. Lingerman remarked, "Just as certain selections of music will nourish your physical body and your emotional layer, so other musical works will bring greater health to your mind."

In that spirit, Vimo is offering its users free iPod-ready music downloads from major recording artists as a gift for reviewing a doctor. You rate and review your doctor, and we send you a code to download five free tracks from eMusic.com, which you can play on an iPod or burn to compact disc.

Use the search form on Vimo to find your doctor in Vimo's comprehensive database of physicians in the United States. Click the ´Rate this doctor´ button to provide a rating and review. You must write a review of 250 characters (about 35 words) or more on your doctor to qualify for the free music.

Chini Krishnan
President, Vimo Inc.

In the News

U.S. News and World Report Ranks Top Health Plans

This year's rankings of commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid HMOs and POS plans show useful information about most of America's larger plans as well as the majority of the nation's smaller ones. Read More ...

—Source: U.S. News and World Report, Published November, 2006

Distance Health Care

E-mails and phone consultations with doctors are beginning to replace visits to the doctor's office. And insurers are beginning to pay for it. Read More...

—Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press, Published November 20, 2006

Spotlight

59 Hospitals Named to 'Top Hospitals' List

Fifty-nine U.S. hospitals have been named to the first Leapfrog Top Hospitals list, based on results from the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey, a national rating system that offers a broad assessment of a hospital's quality and safety.

To view the top hospitals click here.

The Survey results from over 1,200 hospitals (56 percent of Americans live within 25 miles of three or more of these hospitals) reveal significant findings about the state of health care quality and safety in the nation's hospitals.

The Survey asks hospitals about their awareness and action on 30 "Safe Practices for Better Healthcare" endorsed by the National Quality Forum. Of all the hospitals responding to the Survey:

  • Nine in ten hospitals have implemented procedures to avoid wrong-site surgeries (operating on the wrong part of the body); and,

  • Eight in ten hospitals require a pharmacist to review all medication orders before medication is given to patients.

    • However, many hospitals still have significant progress to make. Among responding hospitals:

  • More than nine in ten have not implemented computer physician order entry to Leapfrog's standard;

  • Nine in ten fail to meet the standards for performing two high-risk procedures: coronary artery bypass graft surgery (90 percent) and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (96 percent);

  • Seven in ten do not enlist intensivists (ICU specialists) to oversee patient care in the ICU according to Leapfrog's standard;

  • Five in ten do not have an explicit protocol to ensure adequate nursing staff, or a policy to check with patients to make sure they understand the risks of their procedures; and,

  • Three in ten lack procedures for preventing malnutrition in patients, and do not vaccinate their health care workers against the flu.

The Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey is the only national survey that provides as full an assessment of a hospital's quality and safety. The Leapfrog Group is a voluntary program aimed at mobilizing employer purchasing power to alert America’s health industry that big leaps in health care safety, quality and customer value will be recognized and rewarded. Among other initiatives, Leapfrog works with its employer members to encourage transparency and easy access to health care information as well as rewards for hospitals that have a proven record of high quality care.

—Source: Leapfrog Group

Target Takes on Wal-Mart in Offering Cheap Drugs

Expanding a pilot program that began in Florida in September, Target Stores plans to match drug prices being offered by competitor Wal-Mart with cheap drugs being sold at locations in 14 states.

Wal-Mart is selling one month´s supplies of 314 generic drugs for just $4 each in 14 states. The company expanded a pilot program that started in Florida in September. The cheap, new prices affect 143 compounds in a variety of dosages.

Target plans to match the lower prices. But Walgreens and CVS are maintaining their price structure, arguing that for the lower-priced drugs at Wal-Mart and Target, nearly all of Walgreens' pharmacy customers already pay only $5 or less in co-pays.

Analysts believe Wal-Mart's marketing strategy won't impact many people, because most of the drugs are being sold to older, insured people who only pay $5 co-pays.

Wal-Mart plans to expand the price structure to all 50 states by the end of the year.

Growth in Drug Prices Slows

Growth in prices and spending for prescription drugs continues to slow as consumers take advantage of health insurance plans' cost-containment strategies, a study released by the Center for Studying Health Systems Change found.

The report said that in 2005, "drug price trends, as measured by the CPI, remained relatively stable at a low rate of growth."

"Health insurance premiums have reflected the slower growth in overall health care spending, with premiums rising at the lowest rate in years. Today's news is the latest validation of the value of a new generation of cost-containment tools and techniques developed by health insurance plans," said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans. "This report is encouraging news for consumers who are benefiting from a continued slowing in the rate of growth of drug spending."

The Center for Studying Health Systems Change report echoes the findings of a 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers study which stated that "widespread adoption of multi-tiered pharmaceutical benefits and generic drugs have helped slow the rate of increase in prescription drug spending." Multi-tiered pharmaceutical benefits offer lower co-pays for the purchase of generic drugs instead of branded ones.

—Source: Medicalnewstoday.com

Insight

Health Insurance: Just the Numbers

  • The number of people with health insurance coverage increased by 1.4 million to 247.3 million between 2004 and 2005, and the number without such coverage rose by 1.3 million to 46.6 million (from 15.6 percent in 2004 to 15.9 percent in 2005).

  • Between 2004 and 2005, people covered by employment-based health insurance (174.8 million) declined from 59.8 percent to 59.5 percent.

  • While the number of people covered by government health programs increased between 2004 and 2005, from 79.4 million to 80.2 million, the percentage of people covered by government health insurance remained at 27.3 percent. There was no statistical difference in the number or percentage of people covered by Medicaid (38.1 million and 13.0 percent, respectively) between 2004 and 2005.

  • The proportion and number of uninsured children increased between 2004 and 2005, from 10.8 percent to 11.2 percent and from 7.9 million to 8.3 million, respectively.

    The Healthcare Dollar in the US

    • —Source: U.S. Census Bureau

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