Government: Page 79
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Photography by Gage Skidmore / Photo Illustration by Kendall Davis / Industry Dive
Healthcare Dive's 2020 election coverage
The outcome of the presidential race and control of the Senate were still unknown. Polling showed healthcare issues were top of mind for many as they cast their vote.
Nov. 2, 2020 -
CMS set to bump MA rates for 2022 in win for payers
The agency is also proposing to rely entirely on encounter data to calculate patient risk scores in 2022, a move that has been opposed by commercial insurers.
By Samantha Liss • Nov. 2, 2020 -
CMS clears Georgia bid to nix Healthcare.gov, decentralizing ACA marketplace
If implemented, the state would be the first with no government-run website to enroll in ACA plans, decentralizing marketplace functions among a few private insurers. Some call it an illegal move that would push thousands off the rolls.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 2, 2020 -
Aetna to pay $1M to settle 3 patient data HIPAA breaches
The potential violations all occurred over a six-month period in 2017 and affected a total of more than 18,000 members, the HHS Office for Civil Rights said. The payer is not admiting liability.
By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 29, 2020 -
Second interoperability deadline extension likely final delay, ONC chief says
Some health IT experts have criticized the delays, arguing that free and unfettered data sharing could help the country coordinate its pandemic response as the U.S experiences a third spike in COVID-19 cases.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Oct. 29, 2020 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
Trump admin pushes back interoperability deadline for second time
The move was expected — rumors swirled for weeks amid public comments from top health IT officials and a proposed rule with a title hinting at deadline extension — but is a significant increase in the timeline for compliance.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Oct. 29, 2020 -
Permission granted by BioNTech SE
CMS requires government, most private plans to cover COVID-19 vaccines
Commercial payers are likely already modeling costs. Anthem CEO Gail Boudreaux said Wednesday the insurer considered multiple variables when determining pricing and will follow CMS guidance.
By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Oct. 29, 2020 -
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 -
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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • 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 Parduhn • Oct. 13, 2020
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