The Disconnect Between Health and Mental Health
Editor’s Note: This column previously appeared in Bridge Magazine. Recent reports about a Medicaid experiment in Oregon reveal a major disconnect we have in the health care world: we make a historic —and unwarranted— distinction between “physical health” and “mental health.” Worse, that distinction actually interferes with both our investment in mental health treatment and patients’ willingness to seek treatment. …
Read more >The Ann Arbor News: U-M Health System has some of the highest charges in the state, but patients rarely face them
Hospital charge data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on average figures from Medicare patient data are not useful or relevant for most consumers, says CHRT Director Marianne Udow-Phillips.
Read more >Bridge Magazine: Oregon Medicaid study shows value of investment in mental health
CHRT Director Marianne Udow-Phillips wonders why there is still a distinction made between “physical health” and “mental health”after media headlines proclaim Medicaid had “no significant effect” on Oregon enrollees, despite data showing a significant reduction in depression compared to an uninsured control group.
Read more >Crain's Detroit Business: New insurance cooperative to join health exchange; targets small biz
East Lansing-based Consumers Mutual Insurance of Michigan will apply to sell policies on the new health insurance exchange starting Oct. 1, but CHRT Director Marianne Udow-Phillips says they will face tough competition.
Read more >The ACA and the Hospital Readmissions Policy Debate
Of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) many provisions aimed at improving health care access, quality, and efficiency, one has been the subject of considerable recent debate: the hospital readmission reduction program. The program’s approach has some merit, but in the end, doesn’t do enough to address the systemic issues underlying the problems it aims to fix. This policy needs adjustments …
Read more >Detroit Free Press: Blue Cross and Trinity Health sign contract aimed at cost-efficient health care
CHRT Director Marianne Udow-Phillips puts Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s new reimbursement contract with Trinity Health’s 12 Michigan hospitals in context, explaining that “this is still a fee-for-service payment, but it adds incentives for quality.”
Read more >Bridge Magazine: Michigan’s STD belt: It’s not what you think
A new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study shows higher rates of a sexually transmitted disease in a line of Michigan counties stretching along Interstate 94, but CHRT Director Marianne Udow-Phillips cautions against prematurely jumping to conclusions. “This is a reporting issue,” Udow-Phillips said. “This is where teens are going for care, not necessarily where they are having sex.”
Read more >Bridge Magazine: Living on right side of county line means more life, better health
A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study found striking health disparities between Wayne and Washtenaw counties, but CHRT Director Marianne Udow-Phillips explains that issues—such as poverty, education, clean water and clean air—have a bigger impact on health status than medical care treatment.
Read more >New Approaches to Payment: Will They Work?
Great news! The latest and greatest approaches to reducing health care spending are here: paying primary care doctors more, bundling payments for doctors and hospitals; sharing savings and investing more in systems that integrate care. Hooray! New answers to the cost curve dilemma! The question is: will any of these approaches actually work? As it turns out, we’ve been down …
Read more >Detroit Free Press: Workplace health care coverage dives in Michigan, report finds
CHRT Director Marianne Udow-Phillips explains what contributed to the decline in the number of Michigan residents covered by employer-sponsored health insurance between 2000 and 2011.
Read more >