FROM THE FOUNDATION

The Social Life of Health Information

A new Pew Internet/CHCF national survey finds the Internet has joined doctors and family members as one of the top three ways people search for answer to their health care questions.

Evaluating One-e-App

CHCF and The California Endowment funded the development of One-e-App, a Web-based program that enables users to apply for multiple public insurance programs at once. Read a business case assessment by The Lewin Group.

Privacy, Security, and the Stimulus Bill

The recently enacted economic stimulus legislation includes a number of improvements to federal health privacy law. This brief looks at issues of privacy and security in the wake of ARRA.

Health Plans

Friday, September 26, 2008

Report Anticipates Cost Savings From Online Health Care Services

Replacing some medical encounters with online services could yield $6.95 in monthly savings per Medicare beneficiary and $3.36 per member of commercial health plans, according to a study released on Thursday by the actuarial firm Milliman, Government Technology reports.

The study projects that most of the savings will arise from replacing non-emergency visits to hospital emergency departments and other in-person physician visits with online services.

Arthur Wilmes -- principal and actuary at Milliman and author of the report -- said that the analysis focused on using online services to replace ED visits, office or home visits and urgent care visits.

For both Medicare and private health plans, the study projects that using online medical services would cut overall medical costs by about 1.2% (Government Technology, 9/25).



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