The continuing evolution of the Medicare Shared Savings Program

Aledade's Dr. Farzad Mostashari and Travis Broome weigh in on how more investment and fine-tuning will be required to strengthen the program to help power the transformation of Medicare to a value-based system. 

By Dr. Farzad Mostashari & Travis Broome • Feb. 4, 2017

Advisory panel recommends including device identifiers on claims forms

Adding device identifiers to medical claims could help flag faulty devices and enable comparative outcomes analysis.

By Meg Bryant • Feb. 3, 2017

AARP flexes it muscles in response to Republican health reform proposals

Many of the ACA provisions GOP lawmakers oppose have lowered costs and increased coverage for millions of elderly patients. The AARP says it is ready to wield its considerable influence to fight back against efforts to remove policies that help its members. 

By Luke Gale • Feb. 3, 2017

CMS proposes Medicare Advantage 0.25% payment hike for 2018

MA enrollment from 2015 to 2016 increased by 5%, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

By Ana Mulero • Feb. 2, 2017

10K Medicare patient deaths highlight importance of hospital setting variations

Patients at rural hospitals without dedicated internists were much more likely to die following an emergency department discharge than patients at other hospitals, according to a new study published in The BMJ.

By Luke Gale • Feb. 2, 2017

Trump's SCOTUS nominee voted against ACA contraception mandate

Confirmation of Neil Gorsuch wouldn't tip the ideological balance of the highest court, but it would firm up the conservative wing's stance against abortion rights.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Feb. 2, 2017

Children's Medical Center fined $3.2M over HIPAA violations

While the hospital’s HIPAA violations affected 7,000 patients, the fine serves as a reminder to other providers how costly breaches can be.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Feb. 2, 2017

Aetna won't re-enter ACA exchange markets it left last year

It was a mostly positive fourth quarter earnings report for Aetna, but the biggest reverberations will come from its decision not to re-enter the ACA exchange markets it exited last year. 

By Shannon Muchmore • Feb. 1, 2017

Hospital spending slowing in Maryland since shift to new payment model

Through the first two years of its experiment with global payments in its all-payer reimbursement model, Maryland is delivering impressive results. 

By Luke Gale • Feb. 1, 2017

Senate committee approves Tom Price without Democrats

Democrats' attempt to buy time by boycotting the markup scheduled for Tuesday has failed.  

By Ana Mulero , Kathleen Gilbert • Feb. 1, 2017

WSJ: Tom Price got special deal on biomedical stock, drugmaker says

Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee boycotted voting for the HHS Secretary nominee today. 

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 31, 2017

Koch brothers push targeted reforms to replace the ACA

A group backed by the Koch brothers is advocating for a series of individual reforms, many of them state-based.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 31, 2017

Healthcare feels the weight of Trump's new executive orders

The latest executive orders that require two regulations be revoked for every new one that is implemented and ban immigration from certain countries will cause massive ripple effects for physicians, hospitals and patients.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 31, 2017

Leaked audio from Republican retreat offers few answers on healthcare reform

A recording of a private meeting of Republican lawmakers reveals there is a big difference between the way they talk about healthcare reform in public and behind closed doors. 

By Luke Gale • Jan. 30, 2017

Patient access to medical records limited by associated costs

Minnesota patients' copy fees can total as much as $218.70 for 150 pages of records, according to a new article published by JAMA Internal Medicine.

By Luke Gale • Jan. 30, 2017

Proposed tax on imports from Mexico could affect medical supplies

There has been a lot of talk within healthcare circles about potential changes to national health policy. However, even policies not directly related to healthcare can have an effect on the industry. 

By Luke Gale • Jan. 30, 2017

Aetna faces new suit after shareholders lost billions over blocked Humana merger

Aetna’s stocks suffered as evidence revealed the company withdrew from ACA exchanges to improve its litigation position.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 30, 2017

Kaiser Permanente fined $2.5M for failure to report required Medi-Cal data

The company's EMR systems, driven by quality and coordination of care, allegedly fell short on the reporting capabilities needed to support government compliance.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 30, 2017

What Trump's executive order could mean for the ACA

On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it would cease advertising ACA coverage in the final days of the current open enrollment season.

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 27, 2017

Anthem tries to play Aetna-Humana defeat to its advantage

In a court filing, Anthem argued the Aetna-Humana case confirms that "the procompetitive effects generated by the efficiencies should be weighed against any possible anticompetitive effects." 

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 27, 2017

Pay-for-performance is underperforming, two health policy professors posit

It seems reasonable to believe that paying physicians to provide more quality care would deliver improved outcomes, but providers behave in mysterious ways. 

By Luke Gale • Jan. 27, 2017

Rand Paul throws ACA replacement into the health reform ring

Paul's plan comes days after the Cassidy-Collins replacement plan was unveiled.

By Jeff Byers • Jan. 26, 2017

AMA-led coalition calls for reforming management tools

Fed up with the burden of utilization management tools like prior authorization, a group representing healthcare providers and patients has made it clear that they want to see big changes from payers.

By Kathleen Gilbert • Jan. 26, 2017

John Halamka offers health IT advice to Trump administration

Enabling IT infrastructure, reducing clinical burden and cybersecurity are among the major issues the new administration should focus on, the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center CIO says. 

By Meg Bryant • Jan. 26, 2017

5 takeaways on replacing the ACA from Tom Price's Senate hearing

President Trump's nominee for HHS Secretary offered assurances — but few specifics — on how the new administration would repeal-and-replace the Affordable Care Act. 

By Ana Mulero • Jan. 25, 2017