A survey released today by the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) challenges the long-held assumption that having health insurance is synonymous with having access to health care.

The survey of 1,022 Michigan adults showed that while 40 percent of those who lacked insurance delayed seeking needed care, so did 17 percent of those with health insurance — mostly due to cost concerns.

The survey also revealed that many low income urban dwellers had fewer problems accessing care than all but high income suburban dwellers — potentially reflecting the greater availability of health care “safety net” providers in urban areas. Residents in rural communities and small towns reported more problems with access to care.Continue Reading Survey Reveals Health Insurance and Access to Care Not So Closely Linked

Examining the reasons people end up in the hospital could point to opportunities for improving patient care and making the health care system more effective and efficient, according to an issue brief released today by the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT).

Nationally in 2007, four of the top ten diagnoses related to cardiovascular disease; in Michigan, three of the top ten. Heart disease accounted for over $143 billion in health care spending nationally — $4.2 billion in Michigan.

“We know many cases of heart disease are potentially preventable,” said CHRT director Marianne Udow-Phillips. “A focus on prevention and/or early intervention for underlying risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and smoking could have substantial impacts on both patient health and the cost of care.”Continue Reading The Cost Burden of Disease: What Health Care Spending Can Teach Us About Improving Care

According to an issue brief on health care costs released today by the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT), Michigan’s health care spending has been growing at a slower pace than the national average for more than a decade.

The issue brief also says Michigan spends less per capita on personal health care than the national average ($ 5,058 vs $5,283), ranking 36th among the 50 states and District of Columbia in 2004 (the most recent year for which state-level data were available), and has one of the lowest rates of Medicaid payments to physicians in the country, ranking 44th on the 2008 Medicaid to Medicare physician fee index.Continue Reading Michigan’s health care spending lower than U.S. average – Medicaid reimbursements among the lowest in the nation