Weekend Update Supplement

Well, the FEHBlog was out of town this weekend, and his schedule was discombobulated this morning by winter storm Titan. So the FEHBlog posted the key weekend update this morning and now wants to add a few more points.

The FEHBlog received a tip from his friend and colleague Theresa Defino that on February 18, 2014, the Congressional Research Service issued not one but two FEHBP related reports.  The first is a report on the transition of members of Congress and their official staffs from FEHBP coverage to DC gold level SHOP exchange coverage.  The second is an updated report on law affecting the FEHBP or as the FEHBlog calls it "Thanks for the memories."

Today, the consulting firm Truven Health Analytics released the results of its annual survey of top 100 hospitals. Check your PPO lists! One local hospital made the list, the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA. The Truven press release explains that

“Employers and payers are increasingly seeking network hospitals that consistently provide demonstrated value — hospitals that deliver higher quality, higher satisfaction and lower cost. The 100 Top Hospitals have been objectively proven to provide high value, and the majority of them have demonstrated year-over-year increased value, as well,” said Jean Chenoweth, Truven Health Analytics senior vice president, 100 Top Hospitals Programs. “The results show 100 Top Hospitals to be strong, well-managed hospitals with consistently high performance. This year, 59 percent of the 2014 100 Top Hospitals were winners last year. In 2013, 51 percent were repeat winners; in 2012, 42 percent were repeat winners.”

The FEHBlog also was reminded today that the Choosing Wisely campaign which OPM has endorsed is continually updating its member medical association lists of medically unnecessary procedures. The most recent posts were from the American Geriatrics Society and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.