The Latest
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Intermountain inks merger deal with SCL Health to create $11B system
The deal expands Intermountain's regional footprint to Colorado, Montana and Kansas. CEO Marc Harrison would be the president and chief executive of the newly formed company.
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Sponsored by West MonroeManaging patient access in an ever-changing world
How healthcare organizations can continually adapt their patient experience strategies.
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Carol Highsmith. (2005). "Apex Bldg." [Photo]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
FTC warns app makers fall under breach notification rule
The agency noted that a breach must be reported regardless of whether it was the result of malicious action. Any unauthorized access, including sharing information without consent, would trigger the rule.
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In rare move, DOJ intervenes in MA fraud case against data mining company
Defendants Independent Health, an MA payer, and its now defunct medical analytics subsidiary DxID denied all allegations of wrongdoing and said they planned to defend themselves "vigorously" in court.
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Q&AHillrom's VP of connected care talks Baxter's $10.5B buy, medtech's largest 2021 deal
The deal is driven by Hillrom's digital health presence. Trey Lauderdale, Hillrom vice president and general manager of care communications, says the Baxter acquisition is validation of their strategy.
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FDA staff tight-lipped on booster shot views ahead of consequential meeting
In a briefing document released Wednesday, agency reviewers did not make a strong case either for or against the broad authorization of boosters for the general public.
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Providers balk at MIPS value program, Medicare rate in physician pay rule comments
While providers strongly support the telehealth coverage increases in the proposed rule, they asked the agency to go further by putting the services that are now going to be covered through the end of 2023 on the permanent list.
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Permission granted by University of Maryland School of Medicine
New data from Israel, Pfizer show potent effect from third coronavirus shot
The much-anticipated data arrived two days before an important FDA advisory meeting to discuss authorization of a booster dose for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine.
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Private health coverage for working-age adults fell amid pandemic, Census data shows
The drop from March 2019 to March 2021 was largely offset, however, by coverage gains in programs like Medicaid.
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In lawsuit, former employee blows whistle on Aetna's alleged fraudulent provider network that listed dead physicians
The plaintiff discovered that "tens of thousands of children were assigned to [primary care providers] that had no relationship whatsoever to [Aetna]," the suit alleges.
UPDATED: Sept. 15, 2021 at 5:08 p.m. -
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Delta patients clog hospitals, spur more procedure delays
Intermountain is the latest system to announce it's putting non-emergency procedures back on hold at 13 of its hospitals, and expects the pause to last several weeks, CEO Marc Harrison said.
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Preventable hospitalization costs among unvaccinated patients surged to $3.7B in August, KFF says
More than 280,000 hospitalizations from COVID-19 between June and August could have been prevented by vaccination, researchers found.
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HHS to release $25.5B in COVID-19 relief funding for providers
Some providers have been anxiously waiting on additional disbursements from the provider relief fund, especially for the period of the pandemic that saw the highest hospitalization rates.
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Departing FDA officials, WHO leaders argue against broad rollout of COVID-19 booster shots
Marion Gruber and Philip Krause, two top FDA vaccine reviewers who are unexpectedly departing this fall, joined senior WHO officials in saying booster vaccine doses are not yet widely needed.
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Courtesy of Humana
Humana's reported rise in hospitalizations among seniors is a trend worth watching
It's potentially troubling because people who are eligible for Medicare have a higher vaccination rate than the rest of the population. Humana's report raises questions about what's driving the uptick in hospitalizations among this cohort.
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CMS moves to scrap Medicare coverage of breakthrough devices due to clinical evidence concerns
AdvaMed said the repeal of the Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology rule is the wrong decision for patients. Analysts noted the reimbursement pathway could be resurrected in Cures 2.0 legislation.
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Insurers to disclose relationships with brokers, agents in new CMS proposed rule
Other proposals would require air ambulances to disclose additional data to HHS and outline how CMS can enforce surprise billing protections if states fail to act.
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Biden, industry groups mandate COVID-19 vaccines for most healthcare workers
CMS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are requiring that all provider facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs vaccinate their workers, according to a Thursday release.
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Hospital execs see delta pressure dragging into early fourth quarter: Jefferies poll
The variant is expected to peak late in the third quarter or early in the fourth, according to a survey of 40 hospital CEOs and CFOs conducted by the bank.
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Biden pushes forward on Medicare price negotiation
But opposition from the drug industry and Republicans could make the Democrats' signature proposal an uphill battle.
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Biogen offered a window into what's holding up Aduhelm. Investors didn't like what they saw.
At Morgan Stanley’s healthcare conference, executives detailed how the launch of their Alzheimer’s drug has been slower than expected, due in large part to lingering questions about clinical trial data and insurance coverage.
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Industry pushes for more time before surprise billing ban enforced
Payers and hospitals say with the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing and key elements still unreleased, it will be difficult to comply by Jan. 1. Key sticking points include arbitration and qualified payment amounts.
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Lance Cheung. (2018). "20180927-RD-LSC-0093" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Telehealth claims drop to lowest level since before pandemic, Fair Health finds
The percentage of virtual care claims associated with mental health conditions — the No. 1 telehealth diagnosis — continues to rise, however, according to a tracker maintained by the nonprofit.
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Pandemic relief funds were unevenly distributed, didn't account for community burden: Health Affairs
Researchers analyzed HHS data on the Provider Relief Fund and found hospitals serving fewer patients with employer-sponsored insurance received less funding.
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Biden admin shells out $452M to boost state reinsurance programs
The funding is aimed at getting more individuals to enroll in insurance at a lower cost, swelling coverage as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
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Courtesy of Humana
Humana reports uptick in MA hospitalizations, dip in non-COVID-19 admissions
An anticipated decline in non-COVID-19 care is expected to offset any increases incurred by COVID-19 testing and treatment costs, the insurer said Tuesday.
