GAO report finds insufficient staffing of HHS emergency responders

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response is also responsible for maintaining the National Strategic Stockpile, which came under fire earlier this year amid PPE and ventilator shortages.

By Hailey Mensik • June 19, 2020

Virtual care at a virtual conference: Telehealth will remain post-pandemic, experts say at AHIP

"If I were trying to be controversial, of course I'd say, 'No, it's going to go away.' But of course no one believes that," Google Health CMO Karen DeSalvo said. 

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • June 19, 2020

NIH loops Quest into effort to test 10K Americans for antibodies against coronavirus

The agency did not disclose which antibody test it will use as part of the All of Us initiative, saying only that the assay has FDA emergency use authorization and is designed to detect IgG antibodies. 

By Nick Paul Taylor • June 19, 2020

With new proposal, Trump administration tries to encourage 'value-based' drug deals

With an eye toward a coming wave of pricey gene therapies, CMS is seeking to make it easier for drugmakers and insurers to enter into contracts linking payment with patient outcomes.

By Ned Pagliarulo • June 18, 2020

Senators back sustaining telehealth momentum post pandemic

Top priorities are axing geographic restrictions and expanding Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement for virtual care services, Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • June 18, 2020

Medical groups, health systems expect COVID-19 pinch to last into next year, AMGA says

Although most of the providers surveyed say they have adequate reserves to last at least two more months, the trade group stepped up its pleas for more financial assistance from the federal government.

By Ron Shinkman • June 17, 2020

MedPAC urges MA, ACO tweaks to speed up value-based payment reform

Medicare Advantage and ACOs could be vehicles for much needed value-based payment reform, but not without better aligned incentives and improved quality assessment, the advisory commission said.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 16, 2020

Hit with surprise COVID-19 test bill, lawmaker pushes Trump admin for guardrails to hold patients harmless

Insurers are generally required to cover the tests without cost-sharing under coronavirus relief legislation, yet patients across the country are still receiving bills, Katie Porter, D-Calif., said in a letter to key health officials.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • June 15, 2020

As states face mounting cases, how 1 NYC system managed COVID-19 surge

To respond to the worst of the novel coronavirus outbreak in its community, New York City Health + Hospitals created three new field hospitals and ordered its 11 existing facilities to "become a single large intensive care unit."

By Shannon Muchmore • June 15, 2020

1 in 4 workers at high risk for serious COVID-19 illness as states reopen despite surges

New data from the Kaiser Family Foundation could throw a wrench in employers' plans to reopen offices and resume a normal course of operations, even as more than half of states report rising COVID-19 infections.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • June 15, 2020

CMS pushes back payer MLR reporting deadline, citing COVID-19

The agency said granting flexibility would help insurers pay rebates mandated by the Affordable Care Act more quickly to enrollees, but issued no requirement that they be sped up.

By Ron Shinkman • June 15, 2020

Air ambulance market is 'dysfunctional,' puts most patients at risk for huge surprise bills: analysis

Even the insured struggle to pay, with median charge for in-network claims up from $24,938 in 2014 to $32,708 in 2017, according to claims data from Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare.

By Ron Shinkman • June 12, 2020

It's time for a national hospital supply chain czar

If the current lack of supply chain coordination isn't resolved before the expected second surge in COVID-19 cases strikes, the result will be a far worse crisis, writes Jody Hatcher, a healthcare supply chain expert.

By Jody Hatcher • June 12, 2020

Pennsylvania mandates more COVID-19 protections for hospital workers

The new rules focus on effective contact tracing that is labor intensive, Gerald Maloney, chief medical officer for Geisinger Health, which operates six hospitals in the state, told Healthcare Dive.

By Hailey Mensik • June 11, 2020

COVID-19 fuels major unknowns as insurers tackle 2021 rate setting

An American Academy of Actuaries brief laid out challenges that may boost costs, including a shift in coverage leading to adverse selection, deteriorating health for those delaying care and pressure on reimbursement rates.

By Samantha Liss • June 11, 2020

COVID-19 testing costs may hit $25B per year, AHIP study finds

The low estimate for diagnostic testing is $6 billion, while antibody testing costs could range from $5.2 billion to $19.1 billion, according to the report paid for by the payer trade group.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 10, 2020

Trump administration suggests restarting electives, with reliance on telemedicine, safety measures

Major surgeries should still be limited as much as clinically possible, and facilities should be prepared to screen all visitors and staff for symptoms as well as provide masks for those who don't have one.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 9, 2020

After criticism, HHS directs $25B in CARES funding to Medicaid providers, safety net hospitals

About 750 safety net hospitals will receive funding. The administration noted that many of these hospitals are operating in the red with an average profit margin of -7%.

By Samantha Liss • June 9, 2020

HHS resolves complaint over COVID-19 no-visitor policy for patients with disabilities

In May, the agency began receiving complaints that Connecticut's guidance violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, alleging that without support people, patients with disabilities were denied equal access to treatment.

By Hailey Mensik • June 9, 2020

To revamp 'antiquated' EHR system, VA needs more specialty docs involved, GAO says

The VA has spent billions of dollars on the new Cerner system and said some 78 billion records have been transferred to a centralized database.

By Ron Shinkman • June 8, 2020

Calls mount for CMS to extend telehealth waivers

The American College of Physicians and Premier want to see pay parity and cost-sharing adjustments stay in place beyond the public health emergency declared for the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Ron Shinkman • June 5, 2020

COVID-19 creates thicket of legal concerns for providers

"There's a push and pull here ... between offering patients protection and between providing immunities" to let providers operate without fear of prosecution, one expert said.

By Shannon Muchmore • June 5, 2020

Providers call CARES funds a lifeline — but some say headaches not worth risks

Legal experts Healthcare Dive spoke with had provider clients opting to return the funds, citing unwillingness to accept the terms and fears over potential risks that come with accepting the money.

By Samantha Liss • June 4, 2020

Months into pandemic, Trump admin mandates labs report demographic data of COVID-19 tests

HHS is now requiring labs to submit a much broader range of demographic COVID-19 testing data, including age, race, ethnicity and sex.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Updated June 5, 2020

BCBS plans account for nearly half of ACA enrollment, but face rising competition from Medicaid insurers

Medicaid insurers' market share on the exchanges overall ballooned from 15% of the marketplace in 2016 to 27% by 2018.

By Hailey Mensik • June 3, 2020