U.S. Health Spending in 2015
In the January 2017 issue of Health Affairs, Martin, et al. published the latest National Health Expenditure Account estimates in their article National Health Spending: Faster Growth in 2015 as Coverage Expands and Utilization Increases.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website, the National Health Expenditure Accounts “…are the official estimates of total health care spending in the United States. Dating back to 1960, the NHEA measures annual U.S. expenditures for health care goods and services, public health activities, government administration, the net cost of health insurance, and investment related to health care.” Additional definitions, along with the methodology behind calculating these estimates can be found here.
Some of the highlights include:
- Total health expenditure: $3.2 trillion
- Health consumption: $3.1 trillion
- Investment: $157.7 billion
- Per person expenditure: $9,990
- Percent of GDP: 17.8%
- Annual growth from 2014: 5.8
- Private health insurance: 7.2% growth from 2014
- Medicare: 4.5% growth from 2014
- Medicaid: 9.7% growth from 2014
References
Martin, A.B., Hartman, M., Washington, B., Catlin, A., and the National Health Expenditure Accounts Team (2017). National health spending: Faster growth in 2015 as coverage expands and utilization increases. Health Affairs, 36, 166-176.
2017 Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care Symposium
Two weeks from today marks the start of the 2017 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care. The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (@HFES) event will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel and runs from March 5th – 8th.
I’ll be presenting on two different topics:
- Best Practices of Safety Information Presentation in IFUs [Lecture]
- Strategies for Successful Human Factors Collaboration with Medical Device Development Teams [Poster]
Moreover, I’ll also be the cochair the Ethical Challenges with Usability Testing panel and lecture session for the Medical and Drug-Delivery Devices Track.
If you’re interested in learning more about the topics that will be covered, the full program is now available for download.
I’m looking forward to meeting, reconnecting, and learning from practitioners, industry representatives, researchers, students, and the human factors staff at the FDA.
Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2017
The ECRI Institute has published their annual Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2017. As noted in the brief, the list is published each year to identify:
“…the potential sources of danger that we believe warrant the greatest attention for the coming year. The list does not enumerate the most frequently reported problems or the ones associated with the most severe consequences—although we do consider such information in our analysis. Rather, the list reflects our judgment about which risks should receive priority now.” (p. 3)
The list includes:
- Infusion Errors Can Be Deadly If Simple Safety Steps Are Overlooked
- Inadequate Cleaning of Complex Reusable Instruments Can Lead to Infections
- Missed Ventilator Alarms Can Lead to Patient Harm
- Undetected Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression
- Infection Risks with Heater-Cooler Devices Used in Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Software Management Gaps Put Patients, and Patient Data, at Risk
- Occupational Radiation Hazards in Hybrid ORs
- Automated Dispensing Cabinet Setup and Use Errors May Cause Medication Mishaps
- Surgical Stapler Misuse and Malfunctions
- Device Failures Caused by Cleaning Products and Practices
If you’re interested in getting your own copy of the Executive Brief, visit this link.
MedBuild 2016 Summit is November 9th
On November 9th, The Core will host the MedBuild 2016 Summit. The second annual summit is being held at Boise State University and seeks to connect innovators, companies, and investors with the intent of growing the nascent medical technology industry in Idaho.
The two-track summit will feature a keynote address by Debra Beresini and have educational sessions focusing on investing, reimbursements, and working with startups and universities. There will also be company spotlight presentations, where I’ll be speaking about the capabilities of Human Factors MD. The day will end with a networking reception.
For those interested in attending, you can purchase tickets here.
HFES 2017 Health Care Symposium is March 5th – 8th
On March 5th – 8th, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (@HFES) will hold the 2017 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The keynote speaker is Rafael Grossmann, MD (@ZGJR) – “The world’s first surgeon to use Google Glass during live surgery.”
The symposium will include lectures, panels, and posters in four program tracks:
- Consumer and Clinical Health Care IT
- Hospital Environments
- Medical and Drug-Delivery Devices
- Patient Safety Research and Initiatives
It should be another great opportunity to meet, reconnect, and learn from practitioners, industry representatives, researchers, students, and the human factors staff at the FDA. Hope to see you in New Orleans!