Finances: Page 76
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Montgomery County Planning Commission
Aetna to offer point of sale pharmacy rebates to 3M customers
The insurer has opposed the CMS idea to mandate that Part D sponsors pass on a percentage of rebates to customers at the point of sale.
By David Lim • March 27, 2018 -
Most employers short of tipping point for health coverage
The American Health Policy Institute predicted employers won't be rushing to drop health insurance as a benefit, but some will go that route in the face of unmanageable healthcare costs.
By Les Masterson • March 26, 2018 -
Mission Health seeks to be acquired by HCA Healthcare
"Given the inevitability of consolidation, we wanted it to be our choice long before we are forced to make one," said Mission, the sixth-largest health system in North Carolina.
By David Lim • March 23, 2018 -
Centene fined $100K for not fixing provider network inadequacies
The Washington state insurance commissioner says the payer has not adhered to its compliance plan following a $1.5 million fine last December.
By David Lim • March 23, 2018 -
Advocate-Aurora merger clears regulatory hurdle, on track for April 1 close
The merger would create the 10th largest U.S. nonprofit, integrated system, with combined annual revenues of about $11 billion.
By Les Masterson • March 22, 2018 -
Highmark Health's provider arm has best ever operating performance year
The company said its ACA plans were also profitable for the first time in 2017.
By Les Masterson • March 21, 2018 -
White House report targets health insurer profitability
The Council of Economic Advisers report argues many insurance companies' net profit margins have returned to pre-ACA levels on the backs of taxpayers.
By David Lim • March 21, 2018 -
Urgent care claims skyrocket; ER claims pale in contrast
A new FAIR Health analysis of more than 25 billion privately billed healthcare claims found large differences in growth depending on the place of service.
By Les Masterson • March 21, 2018 -
Washington hospital lays off nearly a quarter of leadership
In January, the 140-bed hospital laid off 21 employees after subcontracting billing services.
By Meg Bryant • March 20, 2018 -
Blues plans made money in individual market last year
Payers still face an uncertain 2018 and 2019 in the ACA exchanges.
By Les Masterson • March 20, 2018 -
Maryland's all-payer model saved Medicare millions in first 3 years
A review of the state program found that it's on track to meet CMS-imposed targets for savings and patient safety.
By Les Masterson • March 19, 2018 -
Hospital prices see biggest gain in years, hiring on upswing
Hospital prices grew at their highest rate since 2009. Overall healthcare costs saw the highest increase since 2012.
By Les Masterson • March 19, 2018 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
CMS plans MACRA changes to ease burden
CMS is expected to add more alternative payment models and is hoping to automatically receive quality data from EHRs rather than physicians reporting the data.
By Les Masterson • March 19, 2018 -
AMA survey says prior authorizations hurting clinical outcomes
Nearly one-third of physicians said they needed to wait at least three business days for a prior authorization decision, and doctors say the payer requests are rising.
By Les Masterson • March 19, 2018 -
Female doctors earn 28% less than men, report finds
Doximity found doctors saw a 4% wage increase from 2016 to 2017, but a persistent wage gap is widening.
By Les Masterson • March 15, 2018 -
340B accountability under fire at Senate panel
The hearing comes as drugmakers point fingers at hospitals and other players involved in the drug pricing system.
By David Lim • March 15, 2018 -
Ascension's Michigan layoffs at 500 and counting
The cuts include 20 management-level jobs.
By Meg Bryant • March 14, 2018 -
Deep Dive
More employers go direct to providers, sidestepping payers
A recent survey found that only 6% of employers contract directly with providers now, but 22% are considering it for 2019.
By Les Masterson • March 14, 2018 -
HDHPs can be more cost-effective for consumers, report says
A new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper looked at how much people could save over a year by going with high-deductible health plans.
By Les Masterson • March 14, 2018 -
CVS Health, Aetna shareholders vote to approve merger
The deal, which was scrutinized by Congress in late February, is emblematic of a quickly consolidating healthcare sector.
By David Lim • March 13, 2018 -
Labor, administrative costs drive US healthcare spending far beyond other nations
The report found the U.S. pays more for healthcare than other high-income countries, but has the lowest percentage of insured people, the lowest life expectancy and the highest infant mortality rate.
By Les Masterson • March 13, 2018 -
Moody's says nursing shortage will take toll on hospital margins
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the U.S. nursing shortage will last until 2025.
By Meg Bryant • March 9, 2018 -
Medicare Advantage risk-adjustment proposal causes alarm
The American Hospital Association and other groups are concerned about the plan to use more patient encounter data when calculating risk scores.
By Les Masterson • March 9, 2018 -
Providence St. Joseph Health swings to profit on higher patient volumes
The hospital system reported revenues jumped 5% over the previous year to $23 billion, with $1.6 billion spent on community benefits.
By David Lim • March 9, 2018 -
Deep Dive
Hospitals eye concierge medicine to lure patients, boost revenue
A program at Massachusetts General Hospital features 24/7 direct access to physicians via telephone or email, a stress technician/lifestyle coach and exercise demonstrations.
By Meg Bryant • March 9, 2018
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