Providers

While you would have to be living under a rock to be unfamiliar with the new Medicare Part D Prescription Drug coverage beginning January 1, 2006, some clarification regarding notification may be helpful.

With the rise in popularity of consumer-driven health care (CDHC) options, questions and concerns continue to be heard from employers, employees, providers and lawmakers.

Overall medical spending, including spending on prescription drugs, fell for about half of employers offering workers consumer-driven health care plans (CDHC).

Despite rising pressure to offer consumers “report cards” to help them make informed health care choices, most hospitals remain tentative to report any statistics that might make them look bad, or increase their liability, such as high mortality rates for certain procedures, or recurring complications from surgeries.

To keep costs under control, HR managers plan to reconstruct their benefit plans, lean on pharmacy benefits managers, and encourage employees to be wise health care consumers.