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Repeal of Healthcare Reform Unlikely, National Healthcare Expert James Couch Predicts

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The new House of Representatives may agree to eliminate some "overreaching" requirements from healthcare reform, but is not likely to be successful in attempts to repeal healthcare reform, predicts James B. Couch, MD, JD, a national expert on healthcare quality and patient safety. He called current efforts to repeal the law "futile" and "political posturing."

Couch was a keynote speaker at the MedeAnalytics Clinical Leadership Summit held Nov. 11-12 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

Addressing the likelihood that the healthcare reform law will be overturned, Couch says because of a lack of an alternative plan by Republicans, Democratic control of the Senate, and presidential veto power, "repeal won't go anywhere."

Couch also said that in the next decade the nation will move away from the fee-for-service model toward value-based purchasing. Value-based purchasing is based on the notion that care should be evaluated and rewarded financially based on demonstrable improvements in outcomes.

"The genie is out of the bottle on value-based purchasing," Couch concluded. "Those who don't make every possible effort to merge clinical and financial management won't survive under healthcare reform."

About MedeAnalytics

Founded in 1994, MedeAnalytics enables healthcare organizations to improve clinical, financial and operational performance through on-demand analytics and client services. For hospitals and health systems, MedeAnalytics provides solutions to address revenue cycle, patient access, clinical operations, staff productivity, regulatory compliance, finance and accounting, and enterprise performance management. For healthcare payers, the company provides solutions for provider network management, medical management and operations. MedeAnalytics delivers business intelligence to over 800 healthcare organizations using a hosted, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, which reduces up-front costs and enables rapid implementation and exceptional time-to-value. For more information, visit www.medeanalytics.com.

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SOURCE MedeAnalytics