Job posting: ALL CLAIMS DATABASE RESEARCH ANALYST

ihealthbeat: Utah's Health System Reform Task is reviewing legislation to create a Web site that would provide consumers with information regarding healthcare, in a user-friendly manner. This information would include benefits of health insurance plans, costs, reimbursement, as well as a list of physicians and hospitals in the network. If the legislation is approved, all health plan data will be submitted electronically to the state Insurance Department by July, 2009.

Government Technology: Utah Pilots Open Source Infectious Disease Management System

Utah has announced the release of their Web-based infectious disease reporting and management system.

This system is designed to support local health departments to detect and investigate individual cases and local clusters of communicable diseases. It will also meet the state and federal needs of outbreak control, disease surveillance and epidemiologic research.

Government Technology: Utah's Department of Health Introduces Online Story Bank

Jenny Johnson of the BHP Genomics program, and Jane have launched a personal health living campaign. Utahns are able to read and create their own stories relating to health topics/concerns one may have. They've created a place online where these stories can be shared:
http://health.utah.gov/bhp/sb/.

Mike Martin writes

For many Utahns, the months of December and January represent open season for switching their HMO or making changes to existing health coverage. The 2007 Performance Report for Utah Commercial HMOs and Medicaid & CHIP Health Plans, released today by the Utah Department of Health’s (UDOH) Health Data Committee and Division of Health Care Financing, evaluates the quality of performance and member satisfaction of selected Utah health plans covering more than 930,000 members across the state.

The report measures come from data (HEDIS) collected by Utah health plans for patient visits in 2006, as well as a consumer satisfaction survey (CAHPS). See the online report at health.utah.gov/hda/reports/hmo/

Mike Martin writes: Utah has updated four of its hospital comparison reports including Hip and Knee Surgeries and Conditions, Maternity and Newborns, Pneumonia Hospitalizations and Heart Surgeries and Conditions.

The reports compare Utah hospitals in treatment areas based on charges, quality and patient safety. Readers can make comparisons of hospital performance factors like in-hospital deaths, average charges, length-of-stay and how frequently each hospital performs the procedures.

HealthDecisions.org tracks 7 states movement towards improving health care quality and transparency thorugh legislation or executive order and their advance towards the promise of a value-driven health care system for more Americans. This report focuses on initiatives undertaken by Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Nevada, Arkansas, Utah and Oklahoma.

Utah Department of Health released two consumers reports in May 2007 (Report on heart surgeries and conditions; and Hip and knee surgeries and conditions). In total, they have released a total of seven hospital comparison reports for consumers since December 2005. A report on gallbladder surgeries is due over the next few months.

May 2007 Utah Hospital Comparison Report on Heart Surgeries and Conditions, 2003-2005

In June 2006, Aetna began providing consumers with online access to the rates it negotiates with physicians in several U.S. cities. In August 2006, Aetna posted new information that allows its members in some areas to access price data for the top 30 physician services, as well as physician performance data.

An reported today (03/30) in United Press International, Aetna will now provide Web access to its members to cost and quality data on individual doctors in five new cities. Physician data is available in all or parts of 16 states and the District of Columbia, giving one in five of the company's 36 million beneficiaries price information on their local doctors.