HCFO Grantees Present at Institute of Medicine Workshop

Findings from three studies, co-funded by HCFO and The Commonwealth Fund, were presented at an Institute of Medicine workshop, The Healthcare Imperative: Lowering Costs and Improving Outcomes [1], which took place on May 21 and 22 at the Keck Center of the National Academies in Washington, D.C. The session on excess administrative costs in the health care system featured results from:

• Administrative Simplification Challenges and Opportunities: A Physicians Organization Perspective—analyzing the costs of administrative complexity for a large physician organization, examining the impact on quality, and identifying opportunities for improvement.
  Investigators: Gregg S. Meyer, M.D./ James L. Heffernan

• Administrative Costs Associated with Third Party Payment—providing an in-depth look at the billing and insurance-related activities performed at a large multi-site, multi-specialty group practice in California.
  Investigators: Harold S. Luft, Ph.D./ Julie Sakowski, Ph.D./James G. Kahn, M.D.

• Costs and Benefits of Physician Practices—conducting a national survey of physician practices across the U.S. on time spent by practice staff on specific activities, including prior authorization, pharmaceutical formularies, claims and billing, credentialing, contracting, and collecting and reporting quality data.
  Investigator: Lawrence Casalino, M.D., Ph.D.