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	<title>Health Affairs Blog &#187; 2012 &#187; February</title>
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	<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog</link>
	<description>The Policy Journal of the Health Sphere</description>
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		<item>
		<title>Helping Consumers Choose Health Plans In Exchanges: Best Practice Recommendations</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/29/helping-consumers-choose-health-plans-in-exchanges-best-practice-recommendations/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=helping-consumers-choose-health-plans-in-exchanges-best-practice-recommendations</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/29/helping-consumers-choose-health-plans-in-exchanges-best-practice-recommendations/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:07:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Robert Krughoff, Walton Francis, and Robert Ellis</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[All Categories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consumers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Care Costs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17400</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Health Insurance Exchanges required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) have the potential to create markets that will help millions of Americans get affordable health insurance coverage and access to high-quality care. The exchanges can enhance consumer and employer buying power to improve the overall quality and efficiency of the health [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/29/helping-consumers-choose-health-plans-in-exchanges-best-practice-recommendations/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Actuarial Value: Why It Matters And How It Will Work</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/28/actuarial-value-why-it-matters-and-how-it-will-work/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=actuarial-value-why-it-matters-and-how-it-will-work</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/28/actuarial-value-why-it-matters-and-how-it-will-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:06:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lynn Quincy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Consumers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17352</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On February 24, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released guidance describing a proposed method for estimating the actuarial value of health plan benefit designs in 2014.  The actuarial value measures the percentage of expected medical costs that a health plan will cover. It can be considered a general summary measure of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/28/actuarial-value-why-it-matters-and-how-it-will-work/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Media Partnership: AHIP Summit On Payment And Delivery Reform</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/28/media-partnership-ahip-summit-on-payment-and-delivery-reform/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=media-partnership-ahip-summit-on-payment-and-delivery-reform</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/28/media-partnership-ahip-summit-on-payment-and-delivery-reform/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:20:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[All Categories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hospitals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Payment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Physicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quality]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17337</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[AHIP&#8217;s Summit on Payment Reform and Delivery Transformation, March 5 in Washington, D.C., spotlights efforts across the country to transform the payment system and care delivery. The Summit showcases initiatives where providers and health plans are partnering with success. The sessions will demonstrate the many lessons learned from these partnerships including gaining provider buy-in, governance [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/28/media-partnership-ahip-summit-on-payment-and-delivery-reform/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>FDA&#8217;s Draft Biosimilar Guidance: A Good First Step</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/27/fdas-draft-biosimilar-guidance-a-good-first-step/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=fdas-draft-biosimilar-guidance-a-good-first-step</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/27/fdas-draft-biosimilar-guidance-a-good-first-step/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:15:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Richard Dolinar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[All Categories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Effectiveness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Patient Safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pharma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17284</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A key component of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 has just been released with little fanfare. One of the most significant provisions in the law gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate biosimilars, which are attempts to replicate some of the most complex medicines known as [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/27/fdas-draft-biosimilar-guidance-a-good-first-step/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dentzer To Moderate PCORI Event; Still Time To Comment On Research Agenda</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/24/dentzer-to-moderate-pcori-event-still-time-to-comment-on-research-agenda/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=dentzer-to-moderate-pcori-event-still-time-to-comment-on-research-agenda</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/24/dentzer-to-moderate-pcori-event-still-time-to-comment-on-research-agenda/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:27:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[All Categories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comparative Effectiveness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Reform]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17275</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) will hold a National Patient and Stakeholder Dialogue on its first draft National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda on Monday, February 27, 2012, from 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event&#8217;s agenda will feature panel discussions moderated by Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/24/dentzer-to-moderate-pcori-event-still-time-to-comment-on-research-agenda/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Stage 2 Meaningful Use Of EHRs Proposed Rules: No Surprises</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/24/the-stage-2-meaningful-use-of-ehrs-proposed-rules-no-surprises/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-stage-2-meaningful-use-of-ehrs-proposed-rules-no-surprises</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/24/the-stage-2-meaningful-use-of-ehrs-proposed-rules-no-surprises/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:38:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ashish Jha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[All Categories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health IT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hospitals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medicaid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medicare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Payment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Physicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quality]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17258</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Editor&#8217;s note: For more on the Stage 2 proposed rules defining meaningful use of electronic health records, see Larry Wolf&#8217;s Health Affairs Blog post. Late in the day on February 23, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the preliminary rules for Stage 2 Meaningful Use.  For those not deep in the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/24/the-stage-2-meaningful-use-of-ehrs-proposed-rules-no-surprises/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Saving Medicare Dollars: Moving From The SGR To Bundled Payments</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/24/saving-medicare-dollars-moving-from-the-sgr-to-bundled-payments/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=saving-medicare-dollars-moving-from-the-sgr-to-bundled-payments</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/24/saving-medicare-dollars-moving-from-the-sgr-to-bundled-payments/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:59:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael Chernew, Darius Lakdawalla, and Dana Goldman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[All Categories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Care Costs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medicare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Payment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Physicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spending]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17232</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Editor&#8217;s note:  The ideas expressed in this post draw on the “IPAB Working Group,” a panel of health care experts supported by Pfizer and charged with identifying strategies the Independent Payment Advisory Board might use to lower Medicare spending. Though many of the ideas that follow stem from that meeting, the authors take sole responsibility [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/24/saving-medicare-dollars-moving-from-the-sgr-to-bundled-payments/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Implementing Health Reform: State Innovation And Medicaid Waivers</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/23/implementing-health-reform-state-innovation-and-medicaid-waivers/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=implementing-health-reform-state-innovation-and-medicaid-waivers</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/23/implementing-health-reform-state-innovation-and-medicaid-waivers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:58:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Timothy Jost</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[All Categories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medicaid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[States]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17208</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On February 22, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued two final regulations implementing sections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The two regulations effectuate 1) an ACA provision that will offer the states flexibility in implementing key ACA requirements beginning in 2017, and 2) an ACA amendment to a section of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/23/implementing-health-reform-state-innovation-and-medicaid-waivers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Supreme Court Ducks Question Of Right To Sue States On Medicaid Cuts</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/23/supreme-court-ducks-question-of-right-to-sue-states-on-medicaid-cuts/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=supreme-court-ducks-question-of-right-to-sue-states-on-medicaid-cuts</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/23/supreme-court-ducks-question-of-right-to-sue-states-on-medicaid-cuts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:03:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Timothy Jost</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[All Categories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medicaid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[States]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17190</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Although public and media attention has been focused on the Affordable Care Act litigation pending in the Supreme Court, the Court’s February 22 decision in Douglas v. Independent Living Center is also of great importance.  The decision involved lawsuits brought by Medicaid providers and recipients claiming that California Medicaid payment cuts violated federal law. Medicaid [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/23/supreme-court-ducks-question-of-right-to-sue-states-on-medicaid-cuts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Meaningful Use Of EHRs Stage 2: What To Expect In The Proposed Rules</title>
		<link>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/23/meaningful-use-of-ehrs-stage-2-what-to-expect-in-the-proposed-rules/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=meaningful-use-of-ehrs-stage-2-what-to-expect-in-the-proposed-rules</link>
		<comments>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/23/meaningful-use-of-ehrs-stage-2-what-to-expect-in-the-proposed-rules/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:46:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Larry Wolf</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[All Categories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health IT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quality]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://healthaffairs.org/blog/?p=17177</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Editor&#8217;s note: For more on the Stage 2 proposed rules defining meaningful use of electronic health records, see Ashish Jha&#8217;s Health Affairs Blog post. There will be many blogs and news reports, on Health Affairs Blog and elsewhere, about the very-soon-to-be-released Stage 2 proposed rules on the Meaningful Use of electronic health records (EHRs). This [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/02/23/meaningful-use-of-ehrs-stage-2-what-to-expect-in-the-proposed-rules/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
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