Friday, November 22, 2013

Kentucky among states selected to study, address expensive problem of 'superusers' of emergency rooms

Kentucky is solitary of a a small number of states teaming up with the National Governors Association to attend to the expensive glitch of uninsured or Medicaid-covered "superusers" who over-use hospice emergency quarters or other costly physical condition services as an alternative of lower-cost alternatives like primary thought.

“I’m proud Kentucky has been chosen to participate in this central encode,” Gov. Steve Beshear held in a news emancipation. “Across the populace, an understanding has been growing to facilitate we be required to focus our hard work on given that the unsurpassed in coordinated thought, serving to give instructions those who may well be using more expensive, a reduced amount of in effect services to more cost-efficient preventive services to facilitate provide better physical condition outcomes in the long run. It’s by achieving these outcomes to facilitate we will build a healthier upcoming representing Kentucky.”

Kentucky, Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky, New Mexico, Puerto Rico and West Virginia will participate in a guiding principle conservatory designed to help them create systems representing these "superusers", enabling state officials to confront rising Medicaid expenditures while civilizing quality of thought and physical condition, says an NGA emancipation.

These "superusers," every so often called "super-utilizers" or "frequent flyers," often make for to a hospice or emergency extent representing frequent physical condition issues to facilitate can be treated more effectively and a reduced amount of luxuriously in other ways. Kentucky Medicaid spent more than $219 million on emergency-room consume in 2012, and 4,400 Medicaid recipients used ERs 10 or more epoch at some point in to facilitate day, says Beshear's emancipation.

“There’s a handful of fill with who drive for the most part of our expenses,” Dan Crippen, the executive director of the governors’ fraternity, told Kelsey Miller of Kaiser Health News. While the median ER visit cost $615 in 2009, an office-based visit with a medical doctor cost $361, according to the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

“Kentucky has too long lagged behind in physical condition rankings, and promptly is the stage representing us to set in motion beyond doubt heartbreaking the needle in the justification direction,” held Cabinet representing Health and Family Services Secretary Audrey Tayse Haynes. “By participating in this state effort, we can gain knowledge of come again? Has worked representing other states and share Kentucky’s experiences as well.”

State leaders will chief touch as a bracket together with consultants from various health-care sectors, followed by officials will run through 18 months implementing the campaign in their communities, says Miller. Funding representing the effort is provided by the Robert timber Johnson Foundation and the Atlantic Philanthropies.

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