Government: Page 118
-
Deep Dive
Hospitals prepare for uncompensated care payment change
The move is meant to even the playing field for hospitals and create more transparency.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 28, 2018 -
Readmission reduction program not associated with increased mortality, study finds
Researchers looked at mortality rates among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for three common conditions and sought to evaluate the effects of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.
By Tony Abraham • Sept. 28, 2018 -
Opioid interventions can curb overprescribing, boost MAT access, JAMA studies show
Though the root cause of the opioid crisis is still being debated, many attribute it to the rapid growth in prescribing starting in the 1990s and peaking in 2012 — a 300% expansion according to some metrics.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 28, 2018 -
Employer-based health insurance offerings increase for first time in decade
Healthcare costs, however, remain a major concern for small businesses, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 28, 2018 -
Provider breaches more common than health plan breaches, but put fewer records at risk, study finds
Between 2010 and 2017, the Office for Civil Rights received 2,149 breach reports involving 176.4 million patient records.
By Meg Bryant • Sept. 27, 2018 -
Hackers exploit data in error messages to attack connected medical devices, report finds
Not all of the vendors notified of error message problems issued a patch, according to Zingbox.
By Meg Bryant • Sept. 27, 2018 -
Bipartisan opioid bill has IMD exclusion, expands MAT
The legislation, which also opens up non-addictive pain management alternatives and increases enforcement of illegal fentanyl, is expected to pass both houses as early as next month.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 27, 2018 -
Safety-net hospitals get break on FY19 readmission penalties, analysis finds
Some penalties are being cut by half or more, and 65 safety-net facilities that were penalized last year will see no dock at all this year, according to a data review by Kaiser Health News.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 27, 2018 -
AHA study finds hospital outpatient departments see sicker, poorer Medicare patients than independent docs
The research comes as CMS is proposing site neutral payment for hospital and nonhospital outpatient clinics.
By Meg Bryant • Sept. 26, 2018 -
Maryland reinsurance program credited for premium decreases
Before CMS approved the program, the state's four individual health plans requested an average increase of 30.2%, but they have now put forward rates with an average decrease of 13.2%.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 26, 2018 -
Medicaid expansion particularly helped rural areas, small towns, report finds
"Overall, the experience of Medicaid expansion states demonstrates the great opportunity for states that have not yet expanded Medicaid," Jack Hoadley, lead author of the report, said in a statement.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 26, 2018 -
Montgomery County Planning Commission
New York regulator warns CVS-Aetna merger could raise prices, reduce consumer choice
The state's top financial watchdog said the pharmacy chain's PBM would have an incentive to give the largest drug discounts to Aetna members, causing "anti-competitive effects" in the rest of the market.
By Samantha Liss • Sept. 26, 2018 -
Gilead creates subsidiary to sell generic versions of hep C blockbusters
Asegua Therapeutics will sell authorized generics of Harvoni and Epclusa at an annual list price of $24,000 for the most common course of therapy.
By Jacob Bell • Sept. 25, 2018 -
Reports explore connection between race, ethnicity, socioeconomics, health
The study by U.S. News and the Aetna Foundation found that the strongest predictors of community health performance were factors like high homicide rates, low birth weight and access to healthy, affordable food.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 25, 2018 -
Major healthcare groups question Medicare ACO proposal
CMS would like more providers to take on risk, but practices have been slow to transition.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 24, 2018 -
Medicaid spending increase expected to exceed GDP growth over next decade
A new HHS Office of the Actuary report projected an average annual rate increase of 5.7% until 2026.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 24, 2018 -
CMS chooses organizations to help develop QPP quality measures
The seven participants include a hospital, specialty groups, colleges and an employer coalition. Their focus areas will include mental health, orthopedic surgery, pathology, radiology and palliative care.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 24, 2018 -
TV filming at Massachusetts hospitals leads to $1M in HIPAA fines
Boston Medical, Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General were hit with the fines for allowing ABC documentary crews for "Save My Life: Boston Trauma" to tape patients on premises without obtaining prior authorization.
By Tony Abraham • Sept. 21, 2018 -
Iowa's Medicaid managed care costs rise faster than before
Medicaid per-member costs increased an average of 4.4% in the first full year of privatization. That's nearly triple the 1.5% average the previous six years.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 21, 2018 -
Lack of consistent process hinders data sharing among HHS agencies, report finds
Issues include lack of processes and accountability for data sharing, as well as resource constraints.
By Meg Bryant • Sept. 20, 2018 -
Prescriptions, ED visits, outpatient services drive healthcare spending growth
The Health Care Cost Institute found that employer-sponsored insurance spending increased by 44% between 2007 and 2016.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 20, 2018 -
For-profit hospitals show higher rates of readmission
In light of their findings, study authors urged policymakers to "mitigate any potential risks in the quality of patient care arising from unintended revenue pressure in healthcare institutions."
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Sept. 20, 2018 -
Puerto Rico health system struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria, report finds
Mental health and chronic disease care are particular problems in the area, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 20, 2018 -
Nearly half of resident physicians experience burnout, JAMA study finds
Researchers also found substantial differences in physician burnout estimates and how they were measured, which complicates finding consistency among studies.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 19, 2018 -
AbbVie accused of 'far-reaching' kickback scheme for Humira
A lawsuit filed by the California Department of Insurance puts AbbVie on the defensive over support programs for its top-selling biologic drug.
By Ned Pagliarulo • Sept. 19, 2018
Previous
