Weekend Update

Congress returns to work on Capitol Hill tomorrow. This week's deadline is April 28 when the current federal resolution funding the federal government expires. The FEHBlog does not foresee a government shutdown when the same party holds the Presidency and control of both Houses of Congress.

Later this week, Thursday and Friday specifically, the popular Health Data Palooza will be held here in Washington DC.  The registration information is here.

The FEHBlog's eye was caught by this Health Affairs study finding a "Small Decline In Low-Value Back Imaging Associated With The ‘Choosing Wisely’ Campaign, 2012–14."   The Choosing Wisely campaign which was launched five years ago is an intiative that encourages patients to question a doctor when he or she recommends a service or supply that Choosing Wisely describes as questionable / low value based on medical society recommendations. The problem here, in the FEHBlog's view, rests with the doctors who should know better, not the patients.

The FEHBlog's eye also was caught by the Society for Resource Management article pointing out that the 2017 graduating class is composed of Generation Z, the generation that follows the Millenial Generation.  The FEHBlog's youngest kid is member of the graduating class of 2017. He had no idea that his youngest kid was in a different generation from his older sisters and brother. You learn something new everyday. Anyway, Modern Healthcare featured an article last week about the health care demands of the Millenial Generation.

[The] millennial generation *** wants instant access to healthcare. They're also looking for a healthcare encounter that is frictionless, convenient and defined by good customer service. The younger generation—and many tech-savvy older Americans—are no longer willing to put up with the long wait times and inconvenient access points traditionally offered by large hospital systems and office-based physician networks.
And that is presenting a big challenge to major health providers such as Advocate, a Chicago-based healthcare system with a dozen hospitals and 1,500 employed physicians. It is among the many major players now looking to establish new access points for younger healthcare consumers, who give less weight to name brands or personal referrals than previous generations.
But many are late to the game. When it comes to meeting the new consumer expectation for speed and convenience, traditional players such as Advocate face mounting competition from stand-alone urgent-care centers, in-pharmacy health clinics and telehealth consultations. In some cities, there's even a return of on-demand home visits.

Interesting.