The cost of healthcare and how that care reaches patients is at the forefront of the industry's mind. The Health Care Cost Institute released six policy briefs Thursday examining how national and state polices affect price and utilization.
Here are six insights from the policy briefs.
1. Healthcare provider consolidation is driving up the cost of cancer care. A study led by the University of Chicago found the consolidation of outpatient practices is driving cancer care to hospital outpatient departments, which hold higher facility fees. Additionally, consolidation is resulting in more frequent use of more expensive medications.
2. If Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare adopted reference-based payments for colonoscopy, U.S. medical spending could decrease by $95 million per year. The study from the University of California Berkeley estimates incentivizing patients to choose lower-cost colonoscopy providers could result in 8.5 percent savings per procedure.
3. Physical therapy as the first point of care for patients with lower back pain has the potential to reduce costs and opioid use, according to findings from the University of Washington in Seattle.
4. Just seven states have telemedicine parity laws requiring reimbursement equality for telemedicine and non-telemedicine services. Across the country, telemedicine reimbursement is approximately 40 percent lower than reimbursement for non-telemedicine services, according to a study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Public Health in Omaha.
5. An Aurora-based University of Colorado School of Medicine study found the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act does not significantly improve access to mental health services.
6. A study from the University of California San Francisco analyzed costs in states that allow independent scope-of-practice laws. Allowing nurse practitioners to provide primary care could lead to reduced costs.
The policy briefs developed through HCCI's State Health Policy Gran Program, which was funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
Click here to view each brief in full.