The Latest
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Patients want better communication, care coordination, survey shows
Insurance giant Aetna finds physician respondents working within value-based care models have better access to community resources.
Hospital Administration -
Payers moving to value-based care faster than expected
Insurers can take a while to implement programs, however, with 21% needing 18 months and 13% requiring up to two years or more, according to a survey from Change Healthcare.
Payer -
Chicago health system says hospital star ratings not accurate
Rush University Medical Center researchers said CMS unfairly relied too much on some measures in its ratings program.
Payer -
MedPAC recommends quality measure consolidation
In its June report, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission also refined its previous suggestions for freestanding emergency department payments.
Policy & Regulation -
Cardinal Health cedes control of naviHealth in bid to spur growth
Cardinal wants to expand the Nashville-based bundled payments startup and focus on finding scale.
Payer -
Q&AEvolent Health CEO Williams on why the road to value-based care is slow
The company recently partnered with Nicklaus Children's Health System and Baptist Health Care to launch Medicaid plans in Florida.
Practice Management -
Hospitals to lose $218B in federal payments by 2028, study predicts
The Federation of American Hospitals and the American Hospital Association commissioned a report to look at how 11 pieces of legislation, combined with regulatory changes, are affecting hospital reimbursement.
Payer -
Deep DiveFight for mandated nurse-to-patient ratios heats up
Nurses point to research suggesting mandatory staffing ratios in California helped improve patient health outcomes. The hospital industry, however, remains resistant, citing staff shortages and other roadblocks.
Policy & Regulation -
Google seeking talent in voice tech to improve doctor-patient experience
The company is reportedly already working with Stanford Medical to assess AI and voice recognition in automating EHR entries.
Health IT -
Federal appeals court denies insurers billions in risk corridor payments
In the lawsuit brought by Moda Health, the court ruled the program "lacks the trappings of a contractual agreement."
Payer -
Healthcare megadeals seen as more likely after media merger ruling
Most see promise in the parallels with the AT&T-Time Warner decision letting a vertical merger go forward and the pending CVS-Aetna and Cigna-Express Scripts pacts.
Policy & Regulation -
Leapfrog pans CMS rule rolling back some quality reporting measures
The group that advocates for hospital quality said the change to the Inpatient Quality Reporting Program would be a blow to transparency and would reduce penalties for errors and infections.
Health Law -
Deep DiveNew Medicare Advantage rules hold big potential for pop health
A CMS rule taking effect this week lets payers offer benefits like ride-hailing and nutrition support to boost health.
Payer -
Sequoia Project highlights best patient matching practices
The revised framework includes a model for determining an organization's "maturity" in matching patient IDs and information.
Health IT -
Fitch says Medicaid cost growth likely to force states to cut programs
The ratings agency reported that healthcare costs for states have increased more than $300 billion since 2005, and will only grow in the next decade.
Payer -
US task force advises against EKG screening in low-risk patients
There is insufficient evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks of invasive follow-up tests, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said.
Health IT -
Fitbit targets kids as customers with new wearable
Fitbit Ace features customizable step, active minute and sleep goals as well as incentives like badges and congratulatory messages and challenges for children and their families.
Health IT -
Loosening scope of practice rules could improve care and costs, report argues
Two healthcare economists suggested cutting policies that mandate supervisory and formal collaborative practice agreements.
Health Law -
Recruitment efforts remain active for primary care, mental health professionals
Merritt Hawkins' annual review of provider recruiting incentives found that family physicians are the most requested recruiting assignments for the 12th straight year.
Hospital Administration -
CMS again postpones hospital star ratings update
Providers have been wary of report cards, and hospital groups lauded the agency's decision to delay the update.
Policy & Regulation -
Proliferation of care settings to drive medical cost inflation in 2019, PwC projects
Megamergers and consolidation were also named as factors inflating the projected increase in the cost to treat patients for next year.
Hospital Administration -
Glooko rolls out new diabetes data platform
The tool is an outgrowth from a 2016 merger with fellow diabetes data management company Diasend.
Health IT -
Medigap plans rise in popularity but coverage geographically sparse, AHIP says
A new report from the insurance lobby found more than 13 million beneficiaries have a Medigap plan.
Payer -
More than 10% of female physicians experienced workplace sexual harassment
A Medscape survey of 3,700 physicians reports that 54% of those reporting harassment said their organizations either "did nothing or trivialized the incident." The group said, "#MeToo extends to medicine."
Hospital Administration -
FDA permits more expansive communication between drugmakers, payers
The move seeks to smooth adoption of value-based contracts, including clarity on what economic information or analyses drugmakers can share with payers about their products.
Payer