Top Healthcare Policy Themes of 2014

Yesterday on the Policy Prescriptions website curator Cedrick Dark, MD, MPH, FACEP, shared his list of top tweets in 2014, each referring to a story or graphic. I have with gratitude to Dr. Dark recast that list below for Pub patrons, highlighting the key policy area focused upon.

Cheers,
  ~ Sparky

Medicaid Expansion: Will it really reduce ER utilization?
A story by @sarahkliff  on January 2^nd in the Washington Post

Population Health: How much of the US’s poor performance on value can really be explained away?
A graphic shared by @davidmwessel on March 3^rd

Industry Consolidation: Will it be a case of Be careful what you wish for . . . ?
A story by @philgalewitz in the Washington Post on April 21^st

Big Data & Health Policy: What can two Medicaid studies – Massachusetts and Oregon – teach us about public health statistics and policy?
A post in The Incidental Economist by @afrakt on May 7th

Mental/Behavioral Health: Is Medicaid expansion an effective way to address the epidemic rise in MH/BHS and substance abuse?
A graphic from the American Health Counselors Association on May 27^th

Physician Shortage: What’s the truth – can we know – about Healthcare Reform’s impact on physician supply relative to demand?
A story by @amitabhchandra2 in Vox on July 31^st

Cuts in Provider Reimbursement: Is cost cutting via physician compensation having unintended – dire – consequences?
An Op-Ed piece in the New York Times by @sjauhar on July 21^st

Value in Healthcare: “People bankrupt themselves to get healthcare and that means it’s incredibly valuable, unless one thinks people are incredibly stupid.”
A tweet shared by @amitabhchandra2 on May 6^th

The Non-Healthcare Side of Healthcare: Only 20% of health outcomes is determined by clinical care
A graphic provided by @CHRankings on October 25^th

Politics of the Affordable Care Act: Will Jonathan Gruber become the sacrificial lamb for an administration and congress that duped the stupid American voter?
A CNN news piece by @jaketapper on November 19^th

National Healthcare Spending: Where does $2.9 trillion get spent?
A graphic in the Washington Post on December 3^rd

The Uninsured: The Administration claims 10 million have gained health coverage. Not everyone agrees on the methodology used.
Official release from @WhiteHouse shares this and other portended accomplishments in 2014 on December 19^th