Arkansas Medicaid work requirements beset by challenges, report finds

Most are unaware of the new rules or face major obstacles to complying, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation study. 

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Oct. 10, 2018

Mayo, Geisinger among 1,300 providers signing up for BPCI-A

CMS announced the participants for its latest bundled payment model, including 832 acute care hospitals and 715 physician group practices.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 10, 2018

Wisconsin shelled out $1.1B for uncompensated care in FY17

Last year's cost for charity care and bad debt is a 14% increase from 2016.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Oct. 9, 2018

Health spending growth gap continues between public and private payers

The sector seems to be in a "post-recession, post-expanded coverage period of steady, moderate growth," according to a report from Altarum.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 8, 2018

More individual plans limit out-of-network care, report finds

Payers that still offer such coverage have shifted more costs to consumers, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Narrow networks are less common in large employer plans.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 8, 2018

Payers find financial success in the ACA exchanges

Insurers have found footing after years of uncertainty, but risks remain.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 8, 2018

Hospitals give patients conflicting information on obtaining records, study finds

Some hospitals weren't in compliance when it came to the charges they required for the release of records and some didn't adhere to state requirements for processing times, according to a report in JAMA.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 5, 2018

CMS to post more hospital accrediting information online

The agency said it will post care quality deficiency findings from complaint surveys, a list of providers the agency determines to be out of compliance and overall performance data for accrediting organizations.

By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 5, 2018

New plans in Iowa don't offer pre-existing condition protections

Meanwhile, a federal judge scheduled a hearing on short-term health plans for Oct. 26. The plaintiffs filed a motion in September arguing those plans will harm the health insurance industry.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 5, 2018

CMS tweaks local coverage policy to speed access to medical devices

AdvaMed CEO Scott Whitaker said the agency's actions are commendable, but more should be done.

By David Lim • Oct. 5, 2018

CVS, Aetna defend merger potential to Connecticut regulators

The $69 billion deal is considered to have a good chance for approval. Aetna agreed last week to sell its standalone Medicare Part D business to help clear antitrust hurdles.

By Samantha Liss • Oct. 5, 2018

Health insurance premium growth exceeds wage increases, inflation

Employer-based single coverage deductibles rose 212% on average over the past decade, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 4, 2018

JAMA: Patients rated virtual visits better when given antibiotics

Researchers found that 72% of patients who didn't receive a prescription, 91% of those who received an antibiotic and 86% of those who received a nonantibiotic medication gave the doctor's visit the highest marks.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 4, 2018

Massachusetts nurse staffing mandate could cost nearly $950M annually

If the ballot question passes, hospitals in the state would have to hire as many as 3,100 additional full-time nurses to be in compliance, according to the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.

By Tony Abraham • Oct. 4, 2018

Paratek eyes 800 key hospital accounts for new antibiotic's rollout

The pharma shed its clinical-stage title on Tuesday as the FDA approved Nuzyra along with another of its drugs.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 4, 2018

Competition in ACA exchanges has plummeted since 2016

Counties without at least three payers offering plans tended to be rural and had higher mortality rates. They were also more likely to be in states that did not expand Medicaid.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 3, 2018

Pair of doctor surveys find burnout fears, pessimism about value-based contracting

More than half of respondents to a Doctors Company survey said EHRs are negatively affecting the physician-patient relationship, hurting productivity and damaging workflow.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 3, 2018

US pays 6 times more than Germany for cardiac implants, study finds

A dramatic divergence in the prices of stents and pacemakers was the most striking finding from an analysis of what hospitals in five countries pay.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Oct. 3, 2018

GAO: rural hospital closures increasing, South hardest hit

States with Medicaid expansion were less likely to have rural hospital closures than states that did not broaden the program, according to the analysis.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 2, 2018

CMS launches online Medicare open enrollment initiative

Components of the effort include a revamped coverage wizard allowing users to compare the average cost of different plans and a standalone out-of-pocket cost calculator for both overall and prescription drug costs.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Oct. 2, 2018

Nearly a third of health IT developers producing FHIR products, ONC says

More than half of health IT developers are using FHIR combined with OAuth 2.0, the industry standard for authorization, according to a new report from the government agency.

By Meg Bryant • Oct. 2, 2018

Partners-Care New England merger granted expedited review

The Rhode Island Department of Health is speeding up the review because Care New England has "distressed" hospitals in the state.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 2, 2018

Report raises concerns about potential Massachusetts health system merger

A state agency reviewing the proposed merger between Beth Israel Deaconess and Lahey Health found that despite potential savings there's "no reasonable scenario in which such savings would offset spending increases."

By Les Masterson • Oct. 1, 2018

Medicare Advantage premiums expected to drop again

CMS predicted 36% of Medicare beneficiaries will have an MA plan in 2019, and more than 90% of them will have 10 or more plans to choose from.

By Les Masterson • Oct. 1, 2018

Supreme Court to hear DSH payments case

An appellate court found HHS violated the Medicare Act by altering the formula for disproportionate share hospital payments without public notice and comment.

By Meg Bryant • Sept. 28, 2018