Healthcare Digest 4/29: Infographic Hopes to Explain Healthcare Reform

Sometimes it’s helpful to see something laid out in poster-form. For instance, if you’re in the restroom of a restaurant, it’s helpful to see how to wash one’s hands, in case one has forgotten. Curious about how to get through that airport security line? There’s an illustrated poster for that, too.

Here’s an infographic that purports to make healthcare reform as simple as washing your hands or getting a pat-down from a TSA agent.

It starts by explaining that people are covered one of three ways: By employer; by the government; or by a new helath insurance exchange. It then moves on to how the Exchanges will work. (That’s probably the most confusing portion of the reform.) And finally, explains why this reform is so important.

Definitely worth a scan, if not a full perusal.

Monday’s Healdlines

Come for the Hype Cycle, Stay for the Explanation of the Hype Cycle: “According to Gartner, Big Data has about 2-5 years before reaching it’s ‘Plateau of Productivity.’ That’s the enviable point at which a technology finally delivers predictable value. The promise of Big Data, of course, is a treasure trove of high value across many industries – including healthcare. Everything from predictive and prescriptive analytics to population health, disease management, drug discovery and personalized medicine (delivered with much greater precision and higher efficacy) to name but a few.” [Forbes.com]

What Could Possible Go Wrong with This Idea?: “Healthcare providers in the public and private sectors are increasingly looking to fit controversial tracking devices to people as well as equipment in an effort to improve patient and public safety while also boosting the productivity and availability of costly hospital assets.” [GovernmentNews.com]

Healthcare Reform and Compliance: Can We Be Compliant About Something We’re Still Unclear About?: “Healthcare reform means different things to different people. For the uninsured and those who will benefit from the premium subsidy, it means a welcome access to coverage. For employees who have coverage through their employers, it doesn’t mean too much right now, but come January, they may or may not have coverage, depending on their employers’ decisions. And for employers, it means confusing, time-consuming compliance challenges.” [GoLocal.com]

The Weary Debt of a Med School Student: “‘When I think about it, it will keep me up at night,’ said Matthew Moy, 28. ‘I’m dreading the exit interview when I will find out exactly how much I’ll have to pay back.’” [Journal Gazette]