More from MPR Slow progress in plan to hold down health care costs Tools E-mail this page Print this page Sponsor

A report card on Gov. Tim Pawlenty's "Smart Buy Alliance" initiative, announced a year ago.

WHAT'S DONE:

-Steps to control medical costs among state works limited 2006 premium increases to a few pennies - first break from rising costs in a decade.

-Lawmakers approved tax-free status for Health Savings Accounts, which give consumers a bigger stake in their medical costs.

-State government trimmed about a third of the reports required from health providers.

-Health care fraud fighters, scattered in several departments, consolidated in the state Commerce Department.

-Lawmakers clamped down on health care providers who wait forever to bill for services. If they don't bill an insurer within six months, neither insurer nor patient pays.


WHAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION:

-Right now, business decisions about medical providers are based mostly on comparing costs, not results. The Smart Buy Alliance wants to change that, but it's not there yet. A new focus on diabetes in the coming months aims to ramp up the pressure.

-Health care buyers can't send their business to the best providers unless they know who they are. Alliance members can use eValue8, a report ranking health plans' performance, and Minnesota Community Measurement, which compares clinics, as they're shopping for health insurance. But there's more work to do before this catches on, especially among consumers.

-Officials say the move toward electronic medical records, insurance claims and drug prescriptions is gaining momentum. State employees will get electronic health insurance cards in January. The Smart Buy Alliance is negotiating for electronic prescriptions in 2006.

-Creating the governor's proposed one-stop shop for health care credentials is harder than it sounds. The Minnesota Council of Health Plans is working on an organization to check up on physicians and others starting in 2007. Federal antitrust law requires each health plan to make its own decisions about which professionals to let into its network.

-A push to use national accreditation standards for medical providers -- thinning redundant state standards -- ran into a snag for two state agencies that buy health care. Now state officials are seeking a federal waiver from Medicaid rules to get both departments on the same page.


STRUCK OUT:

-Lawmakers didn't bite when asked to eliminate "zero-balance" statements sent to patients who don't owe anything.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)