Government: Page 142
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Study: Concentrated insurer markets lead to lower hospital, physician prices
The lower prices did not result in reduced costs for members, however.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 6, 2017 -
Deep Dive
Independent Payment Advisory Board still in Congress' crosshairs
Medicare spending hasn't yet reached the level to activate IPAB, which ACA opponents mischaracterized as a "death panel." Most of the healthcare industry supports stopping it before it starts.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 5, 2017 -
Trendline
Labor
Hospitals are navigating persistent labor shortages with the need to cut costs — a source of contention that could leave patients caught in the middle.
By Healthcare Dive staff -
Bipartisan group of governors release ACA market stabilization plan
The plan, which encourages more consumer participation in ACA marketplaces, comes as HHS announced a dramatic 90% cut to the ACA advertising budget.
By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 1, 2017 -
More than 3% of ED visits are avoidable, study shows
The authors suggest addressing gaps in the healthcare system to reduce the unnecessary visits, which are most often connected to mental health and dental conditions.
By Les Masterson • Sept. 1, 2017 -
Health IT groups seek clarification on information blocking
More than a dozen organizations signed a letter asking HHS to further define certain phrases in the provision of the 21st Century Cures Act that prohibits the practice.
By Meg Bryant • Aug. 31, 2017 -
Government report says ACOs in MSSP 'show promise'
Most of the ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program reduced spending and improved care quality, but a few dozen stood out substantially as high performers.
By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 31, 2017 -
Fitch Ratings: Bundled payment changes a mixed bag for healthcare
The analysis noted hospitals may see reduced operations and compliance costs, but the choice from CMS to cancel or scale-back some bundled models could slow the overall movement toward value-based care.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 31, 2017 -
Percentage of uninsured Americans drops slightly to 8.8%
A government report also shows more people using high-deductible plans, which typically lead to increased out-of-pocket costs.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 30, 2017 -
OIG: CMS not doing enough to protect nursing home patients
The watchdog office found 134 cases of potential abuse or neglect in a one-year period among Medicare beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities nationwide.
By Meg Bryant • Aug. 29, 2017 -
Providers, payers adjust to keep services available for Harvey victims
The hurricane has made treatment access for affected communities difficult, if not impossible. Longterm, the storm will also result in a financial hit for the southeast Texas healthcare industry.
By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 29, 2017 -
California fines Kaiser Permanente again for not providing Medicaid data
The company said it is not appealing the $2.2 million fine and has made significant technology investments to improve its ability to provide the required data.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 29, 2017 -
UnitedHealth to buy Advisory Board's healthcare unit as part of $2.6B deal
Advisory Board started considering a sale of its healthcare business soon after an activist investor acquired an 8.3% stake in the company.
By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 29, 2017 -
Montgomery County Planning Commission
Aetna faces class-action lawsuit after exposing patient HIV information
The payer sent letters to patients last month that inadvertently made it easy to see the phrase "filling prescriptions for HIV" through the envelope address window.
By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 29, 2017 -
Anthem will no longer pay hospitals for outpatient MRIs, CT scans
The payer recently announced it will expand a policy that denies emergency department claims it deems unnecessary.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 28, 2017 -
CMS rejects most payer concerns about greater MA provider network oversight
The agency is demanding more review of Medicare Advantage provider networks to make sure the information is current and accurate.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 28, 2017 -
Deep Dive
What's happening with the 21st Century Cures Act?
Seven months since the bipartisan bill was signed into law, several roadblocks have appeared. Enacting its measures could take longer than anticipated.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 28, 2017 -
Southeast Texas hospitals scrambling to withstand Hurricane Harvey
Houston’s largest public hospital was planning to evacuate Sunday afternoon as water in the basement endangered its electrical system. Several other hospitals and nursing homes were also forced to evacuate.
By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 28, 2017 -
BCBSA study shows drop in antibiotic prescription fill rates
The report also had the troubling finding that prescriptions for reserve antibiotics, which should be used as a last resort to fight superbugs, increased 30%.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 27, 2017 -
AHA asks CMS to delay cuts to safety net hospitals
AHA says the data and methods for calculating how much individual facilities receive in Disproportionate Share Hospital payments are flawed and should be reworked.
By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 25, 2017 -
CareSource will cover final county without an ACA option in 2018
All U.S. counties are now expected to have at least one ACA plan option.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 24, 2017 -
Deep Dive
Clampdown on network directories fueling online solutions
"It’s problematic for both sides,” MGMA’s Robert Tennant says about the effort to keep health plan network directories updated.
By Meg Bryant • Aug. 24, 2017 -
Intermountain plans to cut opioid prescriptions by 40%
The company said it has already trained 2,500 prescribers in strategies to reduce opioid use, and is currently focusing on cases of acute pain.
By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 24, 2017 -
CliniComp sues VA over Cerner EHR contract
CliniComp said the VA should have used the competitive bidding process for the EHR contract, but the agency said at the time it needed to forego bidding to expedite the new EHR.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 24, 2017 -
Deep Dive
Hospitals brace for more uncompensated care, lower reimbursements
Talk of major Medicaid cuts and a new way to calculate uncompensated care payments has hospitals worried about the financial downsides.
By Les Masterson • Aug. 23, 2017 -
Advisory panel pushes back on proposed 340B cost increase
Hospitals have lobbied extensively against the proposal, which would pay hospitals 22.5% less than the average sales price for drugs acquired through the program, instead of the current rate of 6% more than the average sales price.
By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 23, 2017
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