Government: Page 72
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Brian Tucker/Healthcare Dive
Final rule requires health plans to make negotiated rates public
CMS Administrator Seema Verma fought back against claims the regulation will stifle competition. "Don't be fooled ... such complaints are all about protecting a considerable profit special interest reaped from business as usual," she said.
By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 29, 2020 -
Permission granted by Gilead Sciences
Gilead's Veklury becomes first FDA-approved drug for treating COVID-19
The U.S. regulator granted a full approval after allowing emergency use earlier this year. New results from a WHO study, however, raise questions about the drug's ultimate effectiveness.
By Ben Fidler • Updated Oct. 23, 2020 -
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 -
Master Sgt. Hecht, Matt. (2020). [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
4 healthcare storylines overshadowed by COVID-19
The magnitude of the crisis has all but stopped some efforts, like a ban on surprise billing. But other policies are forging ahead, including price transparency requirements for hospitals beginning Jan 1.
By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 22, 2020 -
Yujin Kim/Healthcare Dive
HHS walks back CARES fund reporting requirement hospitals feared
The department said it had earlier concerns that some providers would wind up more profitable than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Samantha Liss • Updated Oct. 23, 2020 -
From back-to-work to telehealth to retail rebranding: HLTH 2020 takeaways
Trump administration officials also provided an update on value-based care models, teased details of the coronavirus vaccine's approval and hinted at a coming reimbursement plan.
Oct. 21, 2020 -
COVID-19 has sparked more concerns about healthcare costs, insurance, TransUnion says
More people, especially those in younger generations, are using insurer websites to conduct cost research, the annual survey found.
By Ron Shinkman • Oct. 21, 2020 -
CMS approves controversial Medicaid waiver in Nebraska, creating 2-tiered system
The expansion is a more creative way to implement work or job training requirements, but opponents argue it will deprive some enrollees of benefits.
By Samantha Liss • Oct. 21, 2020 -
Providers' rocky road to recovery could last into 2022
About 20% of hospital executives told Kaufman Hall they were "extremely concerned" about their financial viability, as the Midwest reports rising COVID-19 caseloads and providers prep for the pandemic to collide with flu season.
By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 20, 2020 -
ACA plan premiums to fall 2% in 2021, CMS says
The price easing comes despite the Trump administration's efforts to chip away at the law, including support for the case to overturn it now before the Supreme Court. But affordability remains a challenge for some who don't get subsidies.
By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 20, 2020 -
CVS wants pharmacy techs to administer COVID-19 vaccine, plans to hire 10,000 more
This week the Trump administration released guidance authorizing pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns to administer coronavirus vaccines and COVID-19 diagnostic tests.
By Rebecca Pifer • Updated Oct. 23, 2020 -
Deep Dive
Retail's role, focus on equity, value-based pay amid COVID-19: takeaways from HLTH 2020
Back-to-work products, coronavirus vaccine distribution and telehealth ROI were also hot topics at the conference's third year.
By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 19, 2020 -
CMS to cut COVID-19 test pay by 25% for delayed results, labs cry foul
The American Clinical Laboratory Association, which includes LabCorp and Quest, argued the new policy fails to address the root of delays: fluctuating demand and supply chain disruptions.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Oct. 19, 2020 -
The hazy post-pandemic future of telehealth
"The effective application of technology and data to healthcare is the foundation for efficient healthcare, but has so far failed to deliver on its potential," the managing partner of Blue Ox Healthcare Partners said Thursday.
By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 16, 2020 -
Elective surgeries seen coming back in Q3, but can it last?
Analysts forecast a recovery in procedures in the third quarter as patients rescheduled, but some now see a leveling off in hospital activity. The flu season also poses a risk going into the winter.
By Susan Kelly • Oct. 15, 2020 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
CMS expands Medicare emergency telehealth coverage with 11 new services
The agency also said more than 36% of those in traditional Medicare used a virtual visit between March and August and usage among Medicaid members has skyrocketed.
By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 15, 2020 -
Payer competition shrinks in already scarce markets, AMA survey finds
The five insurers with the biggest share in the most markets were Anthem, Health Care Service Corp., UnitedHealth Group, Florida Blue and Highmark.
By Hailey Mensik • Updated Oct. 15, 2020 -
Hospitals warn of 'devastating' impact from CARES funds reporting change
The problem centers on how the agency is now defining "lost revenue." AHA bashed the change as "simply unfair and unrealistic" and added it would create an "administrative and accounting disaster."
By Samantha Liss • Oct. 14, 2020 -
Medicare coronavirus vaccine pay rule predicted by month's end, Verma says: HLTH 2020
It's unclear whether CMS has the regulatory power to reimburse for a vaccine if approved by the FDA under an emergency use authorization, as public health officials expect. The rule will likely tackle that.
By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 13, 2020 -
HHS says hospitals must now report flu data as well as COVID-19 numbers
Facilities will have 14 weeks to comply with the requirement that will inform distribution of treatment and supplies as public health officials worry about a dangerous clash of flu season and the pandemic.
By Hailey Mensik • Oct. 7, 2020 -
Courtesy of Target
More than 14M may have lost health coverage after historic job losses, study finds
Not all lost jobs result in a loss of coverage, so researchers have been keen to figure out how historic unemployment has ultimately affected insurance status.
By Samantha Liss • Oct. 7, 2020 -
Brian Tucker/Healthcare Dive
Citing COVID-19, providers push back on CMS payment rule rate cuts, telehealth rollback in 2021
The AMA and AHA are among those lobbying hard against any payment reduction amid the pandemic. Stakeholders also spoke out against rolling back coverage of audio-only virtual visits and nixing the inpatient-only list.
By Hailey Mensik • Oct. 6, 2020 -
Medicare advisers toy with MA payment overhaul as major payers expand for 2021
MedPAC commissioners floated a new methodology in the Medicare Advantage program blending local and national spending, but pushback from payers is likely if the change is finalized.
By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 5, 2020 -
MedPAC commissioners urge condensing, revamping advanced alternative payment models
Many of the models have not produced the results stakeholders and policymakers had hoped for as the group tries to push more providers away from fee-for-service reimbursement.
By Samantha Liss • Oct. 5, 2020 -
[Photograph]. Retrieved from Regional Health Command Atlantic.
Patients give high marks to telehealth, J.D. Power says
The survey of more than 4,300 people ranked Amwell and Doctor on Demand as well as insurers. Sicker patients were less likely to report a positive experience.
By Ron Shinkman • Oct. 1, 2020 -
Photography by Adam Schultz/Photo edit by Kendall Davis/Healthcare Dive
Deep DiveElection 2020: Trump and Biden's starkly diverging views on healthcare
Spoiler: the two nominees diverge on almost everything.
By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 1, 2020
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