News You Can Use: Patients poo-poo quality rankings

When it comes to selecting a doctor or hospital, patients would rather consult friends and family rather than online quality rankings, research finds. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, less than 15% of Americans rely on quality data to make decisions about health care services.

"Virtually no patients look at them," Dr. Bryan Liang , executive director of the Institute of Health Law Studies at California Western School of Law in San Diego, told The Press-Enterprise. "The basic problem of these kinds of ranking systems is that patients do not choose on the basis of scores. They choose on the basis of personal familiarity and experience with the health care entity or provider."

News You Can Use: Uninsured population drops, how to continue the trend

Here’s a downward spiral we can all agree we’d like to continue: Census data reveal that the number of uninsured individuals in the United States fell by 1.5 million between 2006 and 2007, driven by growth in Medicare, Medicaid, military programs and Massachusetts health care reform. This report from the Kaiser Family Foundation points to lessons we can take from the decline and how to make it last.

News You Can Use: Save for Retirement Week is Here

Oct. 19-26 is the third annual National Save for Retirement Week. Promote the heck out of it among your employees, as research shows not all employees participate in retirement plans, and the ones that do don’t save enough.