Government: Page 153


  • Walgreens settles for $50M over fraud claims

    The retail pharmacy allegedly offered discounts and other monetary incentives to government beneficiaries in an attempt to induce them into utilizing its pharmacies.   

    By Luke Gale • Jan. 23, 2017
  • JAMA: Providers stumbling when it comes to sepsis readmissions

    The common, deadly condition cost the healthcare system more than $23 billion in 2013, and preventing it has become a public health priority, according to the CDC.

    By Luke Gale • Jan. 23, 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
  • $54B Anthem-Cigna deal could be blocked

    Anthem is extending the deadline for completion of its merger agreement with Cigna, which is considering its options.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 23, 2017
  • On Day One, Trump starts unwinding ACA

    In an executive order issued on Friday, federal healthcare agencies are instructed to "waive, defer, grant exemptions from or delay implementation of any provision or requirement" that imposes a burden on individuals, payers, healthcare providers, among others.

    By Jan. 23, 2017
  • NIH Director Francis Collins to remain, but for how long?

    Francis Collins is positioned to lead NIH into an exciting era of improved funding and research, but Trump has yet to officially offer him the post.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 23, 2017
  • US recovered $3.3B in fraudulent healthcare claims in 2016

    One of the year’s biggest settlements was with Tenet Healthcare for $390 million. 

    By Jan. 20, 2017
  • CMS reins in pass-through payments

    Safety-net hospitals, clinics and physicians will be looking for new income streams to replace billions in payments that are being phased out.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 19, 2017
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    CMS' new Office of Clinician Engagement aims to reduce regulatory burden

    The formation of the new office could stem from a provision in the 21st Century Cures Act.

    By Luke Gale • Jan. 19, 2017
  • Preventable hospitalizations on the decline

    Quality measures helped reduce preventable hospitalizations by 31% among consumers eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

    By Luke Gale • Jan. 19, 2017
  • McKesson settles alleged CSA violations for record $150M

    The Fortune 500 healthcare services and IT company must hire an independent monitor to assess compliance with controlled substances regulations as part of the settlement.

    By Jan. 19, 2017
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Fotolia
    Image attribution tooltip

    We may be able to avoid casualties in the ACA battle, according to one proposed replacement plan

    A new set of ideas offers more detail than we’ve seen before but will require buy-in from employers.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 19, 2017
  • MedStar Ambulance settles False Claims Act investigation for $12.7M

    It is important for providers to implement robust whistleblower compliance programs, as the National Law Review's Joe Harper and Jaci Overmann cautioned. 

    By Luke Gale • Jan. 18, 2017
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    No punches pulled during Tom Price's HHS courtesy hearing

    From healthcare stocks and ACA repeal to EHRs, committee members weren't shy while interrogating Trump's HHS Secretary nominee.

    By Jan. 18, 2017
  • ONC, CMS offer roadmap for continued shift to value-based payments

    Barriers and frustrations around the digitization of healthcare remain, National Coordinator for Health IT Dr. Vindell Washington and CMS acting Administrator Andy Slavitt wrote in a recent blog post. 

    By Jan. 18, 2017
  • Can Baker get Massachusetts' rising healthcare costs under control?

    Facing dramatic price variations and unsustainable financing challenges, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker proposes to take drastic action to rein in healthcare costs in the state.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 18, 2017
  • CBO: 18M would lose coverage, premiums would rise first year after Obamacare repeal

    The report used HR 3762 to estimate how an ACA repeal could affect health insurance coverage.

    By Jan. 17, 2017
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Price's healthcare stocks continue to raise ethical questions

    This narrative could have big implications for ACA replacement if Price's stock trading delays his confirmation as HHS Secretary. 

    By Jan. 17, 2017
  • HHS finalizes substance abuse patient record sharing rule

    With concerns about the epidemic of opioid abuse growing daily, the final rule regarding the confidentiality of patient substance abuse records seems to fall short for some industry stakeholders.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 16, 2017
  • Study: Missouri hospitals reported cause of death inaccurately in 45% of cases

    Some hospitals were found to underreport cancer and overreport heart disease and renal disease.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 15, 2017
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Elizabeth Regan/Healthcare Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Uncompensated hospital costs reach new low

    The ACA has helped hospitals by reducing the burden of uncompensated care, but all bets are off if it is repealed without a replacement.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 15, 2017
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Price to cut ties to healthcare companies if confirmed for HHS

    The Senate HELP Committee has scheduled a hearing for Price on Jan. 18.

    By Jan. 13, 2017
  • Trump chooses David Shulkin for Secretary of Veterans Affairs post

    The Department of Veterans Affairs undersecretary for health, a longtime hospital administrator, could bring a fresh perspective to the agency.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 12, 2017
  • Senate takes first big step to repeal ACA

    President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would like for an ACA repeal and the implementation of a replacement coverage plan to occur "essentially simultaneously."

    By Ana Mulero & Jeff Byers • Jan. 11, 2017
  • Cal INDEX-Empire Health Information Exchange merger will boost big data

    The merger of these two California data exchanges will result in the country’s largest database of insurance claims and medical records.

    By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 11, 2017
  • Deep Dive

    Mind the gap: Bridging care coordination, IT infrastructure no easy feat

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General identified backend IT infrastructure as a critical vulnerability for the implementation of the Quality Payment Program in the coming year. 

    By Jan. 11, 2017