NHA is one of the 20 Most Promising Data Analytics Companies

Companies today recognize that they have opportunities to use data and analytics to raise productivity, improve decision-making, and gain competitive advantage. CIOs understand that analytics will define the difference between the losers and winners going forward. As the market evolves a vast array of data analytics technology and solution vendors are positioning themselves for leadership. A large number of venture-backed startups are battling against established BI and enterprise software providers.

While there are plenty to choose from, organizations that succeed with Big Data analytics will be those that understand the possibilities, see through the vendor hype and choose the right deployment model. In the last few months, we have looked at hundreds of data analytics companies and shortlisted the ones that are at the forefront of tackling the real analytics challenges. We present to you CIOReview's 20 Most Promising Data Analytics Companies. A distinguished panel comprising of CEOs, CIOs, VCs, industry analysts and the editorial board of CIOReview selected the Final 20.

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From CMS:

Although we are still assessing the impact of the partial government shutdown on completion of the calendar year 2014 Medicare fee for service payment regulations, we intend to issue the final rules on or before November 27, 2013, generally to be effective on January 1, 2014.  The impacted regulations include:

• Medicare Program; End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System, Quality Incentive Program, and Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (CMS-1526-F)
• CY 2014 Changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System (CMS-1601-FC)
• CY 2014 Home Health Prospective Payment System Final Rule (CMS-1450-F)
• Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2014 Final Rule with Comment Period (CMS-1600-FC)

Healthcare price growth rate hits record low
by Richard Pizzi

Healthcare prices in October 2013 rose 0.9 percent above October 2012, the lowest reading in 50-plus years, according to a recent brief from the Altarum Institute.

The data come from the monthly Health Sector Economic Indicators (HSEI) briefs released by Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending.

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New Survey Shows More Than 6 Percent of U.S. Teens Take Psychiatric Meds

A little over 6 percent of U.S. teens take prescription medications for a mental health condition such as depression or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new survey. Depression and ADHD were the two most common mental health disorders among teens.

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Just Released: HCUP’s Most Expensive Conditions Infographic

HCUP has released a new infographic, entitled The Top Five Most Expensive Conditions Treated in U.S. Hospitals. The infographic presents a visual representation of data from the recently released HCUP Statistical Briefs #160: National Inpatient Hospital Costs: The Most Expensive Conditions by Payer, 2011. This Statistical Brief provides HCUP data on the distribution of costs by expected primary payer and illustrates the conditions accounting for the largest percentage of each payer’s hospital costs.

New Report--Broken Promises to Our Children

Fifteen years after the legal settlement with big tobacco companies, most states still aren't using much of the money to fund anti-tobacco programs as intended. That was the finding of the "Broken Promises to Our Children" report from a coalition of public health groups including the American Lung Association and American Heart Association.

Judge's Medicare Advantage Order Could Have National Impact
^{by Susan Jaffe}

In a decision that could have national implications, a federal judge in Connecticut temporarily blocked UnitedHealthcare late Thursday from dropping an estimated 2,200 physicians from its Medicare Advantage plan in that state.

While the judge’s decision affects only the physicians in Fairfield and Hartford Counties who brought suit, several other medical groups are considering filing similar actions.

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New Data Shows Affordable Care Act Reforms Are Leading to Lower Hospital Readmission Rates for Medicare Beneficiaries

Being re-hospitalized shortly after being discharged is an unpleasant experience for patients. It’s also costly for patients, insurance companies and other payers, and—if the patient is a Medicare beneficiary—taxpayers, too. High readmission rates – the percentage of inpatient discharges where a re-hospitalization occurred – can also be a sign of low-quality care. It often means there may have been unclear instructions to patients or lack of follow-up care.

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Spike in U.S. measles cases shows disease still a threat: officials
^{by David Beasley}

The number of reported cases of measles in the United States this year is nearly three times the annual average, federal health officials said on Thursday, highlighting the continued threat of the disease 50 years after development of a vaccine.

There have been 175 measles cases so far in 2013, compared with the typical national average of about 60 cases a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The federal health agency said home-grown measles were eliminated in the United States in 2000, but the disease has continued to be carried into the country from people who have traveled abroad.

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Report on State of Population Health Programs in US Hospitals

A study finds that hospitals have a median of two employees assigned to manage population health, with mid-level managers being the most likely to be involved. It concludes that hospital population health approaches are inconsistent and poorly integrated.

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Transparent Data + Clinicians = Better Care

New Resources Demonstrate How Reporting Performance Data Spurs Quality Improvement
On average, U.S. adults get only 55 percent of recommended care for their conditions. But when clinicians have transparent and reliable data on how well their practices perform, they are motivated to improve the quality of care they provide.

Case studies, a brief, interviews, videos, and other resources from community alliances leading the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiative show that physician practices use performance data to compare how they stack up to their peers, which spurs improvement. Community alliances also use the data to identify top performers and enable providers to share best practices, resulting in better outcomes for patients.

These resources are part of AF4Q’s Quality Field Notes series highlighting lessons learned by clinicians, patients, and payers to transform health care locally.

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Research Paper Estimating that more than 400,000 preventable deaths occur in US Hospitals annually

An on-line only commentary in the New York Times about a recent paper that suggests that the number of preventable fatal medical errors reported in the famous IOM reports To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm were grossly underestimated. Instead of 98,000 preventable deaths, the study reports a number of 440,000. The commentary continues that data reporting about morbidity and mortality and certainly preventable deaths is so poor, that patients can hardly assess the quality and safety of hospitals. It is about the measuring the wrong things, incomplete data, limited data selection, etc. It especially lashes out to the site Hospital Compare. The essence of this all is poor data quality. Of course there is this assumption that reporting complete and correct data will prompt hospitals to improve their performance in terms of quality of care and patient safety, which remains to be seen.

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