The Latest
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DeepMind's AI detects over 50 eye diseases with 94% accuracy, study shows
The work is a collaboration between Google's DeepMind subsidiary, Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London to speed diagnosis and referrals for sight-threating eye diseases.
Health IT -
Partial Medicaid expansion would restrict access for near-poor adults, study finds
Wisconsin is the only state so far to partially expand the program, but at least three other states are considering such a proposal, according to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report.
Payer -
Mayo Clinic tops U.S. News best hospital list for third straight year
Three of the other top five hospitals also held onto last year's ranking: Cleveland Clinic (2nd), Johns Hopkins (3rd) and Massachusetts General (4th).
Health IT -
Oscar gets $375M investment from Alphabet, eyes MA market in 2020
The payer startup has already expanded beyond its initial offerings in the ACA exchanges and individual market.
Payer -
Verma touts interoperability, corporate partnerships at Blue Button 2.0 conference
Microsoft, Google, Amazon and others pledged at the event they are committed to "removing barriers for the adoption of technologies for healthcare interoperability, particularly those that are enabled through the cloud and AI."
Health IT -
AHA continues to push HHS on Medicare billing backlog
AHA and three member hospitals are suing the agency and in the latest court filing suggested methods for reaching a court-ordered 2020 deadline for getting through the claims.
Payer -
Icahn raises white flag in Cigna-Express Scripts tiff
Activist investor Carl Icahn has relinquished his fight to block Cigna's acquisition of Express Scripts after two high-profile advisory firms backed the deal.
Finance -
Nearly 20% of inpatient admissions include out-of-network charge
A Kaiser Family Foundation report found the issue of surprise billing is especially problematic for care in ERs and for psychological or substance abuse treatment.
Payer -
Vital signs can be tampered with on hospital networks, McAfee report suggests
Undetected changes in vital signs could cause patients to get the wrong medication or undergo additional tests, according to McAfee.
Health IT -
Global EHR market on track to top $39B by 2022
Among the factors driving growth are system upgrades and vendor switches, according to a new Kalorama Research report.
Health IT -
Mayo board picks Florida CEO as next leader
Gianrico Farrugia, who also spent nearly 30 years as a physician for the organization, will take over for John Noseworthy at the end of the year.
Hospital Administration -
In first, FDA approves RNA interference drug from Alnylam
Alnylam's drug, called Onpattro, will carry an average annual list price of $450,000, although the biotech expects rebates to bring the net price down by a fifth.
UPDATED: Aug. 10, 2018 at 4:13 p.m.
Policy & Regulation -
Telling doctors about their patients' opioid deaths curbed prescriptions
A letter from the San Diego County medical examiner resulted in lower high-intensity prescribing, fewer opioid prescriptions and overall lower opioid intake, according to an analysis.
Policy & Regulation -
Primary care docs easier to find in ACA plans than Medicaid, study finds
Physicians are even more likely to participate in employer-sponsored health plans, according to the Health Affairs report.
Payer -
FDA OKs marketing of contraceptive app
The Natural Cycles app has generated controversy in Europe, where women have reported unplanned pregnancies while using it.
Policy & Regulation -
Novel antibiotic moves closer to FDA approval
The committee voted 17-1 and 14-4 in favor of approving omadacycline for two kinds of infection.
Hospital Administration -
AMA charges CVS-Aetna deal would reduce competition
The analysis came as Bloomberg reported that the Justice Department won't oppose the merger based on vertical competition issues, although it may still be looking at how it will affect the pharmacy market.
Payer -
Cigna wins Texas underpaid claims lawsuit
North Cypress Medical Center charged that the payer owed $50 million in unpaid claims, but Cigna said the hospitals's fee-forgiving policy for out-of-network care is illegal.
Payer -
CMS proposes Medicare ACO revamp to force risk
Proposed changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program, a cornerstone of the Affordable Care Act, would force accountable care organizations to take on risk sooner. Critics fear this will chase participants out of the program.
Hospital Administration -
More than 20% of Americans skip medical care due to cost, survey finds
More than half of respondents said they are very or somewhat concerned that they may not have affordable health insurance in the future.
Payer -
Quorum eyes up to $215M from asset sales as net loss grows
The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company's operating revenue declined 9% to $959.9 million in H1 2018.
Finance -
Amazon to launch primary care clinics for employees, CNBC reports
The service will initially be offered to a select group of workers and later expanded.
Health IT -
Deep Dive5 takeaways from payer Q2 earnings reports
Health insurers found success in Medicare, Medicaid and even the ACA exchanges.
Payer -
CHS under EHR meaningful use investigation
The Franklin, Tennessee-based provider is the latest to face scrutiny from federal investigators regarding the use of EHRs.
Health IT -
CVS rejects pharma claim that rebates push up drug prices
Responding to charges that PBMs pocket much of drug rebates, the pharmacy giant said it retains only 2% of the price concessions from drugmakers.
Payer