Payer: Page 138
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Pilot test will evaluate MACRA's ability to reduce costs
The CMS will test eight measures to see whether physicians in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System are cutting spending.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 23, 2017 -
Website lets Marylanders compare hospital costs
“Wear the Cost” provides price information on four common medical procedures.
By Meg Bryant • Oct. 20, 2017 -
Montgomery County Planning Commission
CVS Health, Epic team up to lower drug costs
The idea is to increase prescriber awareness around drug pricing and alternatives using data analytics.
By Meg Bryant • Oct. 19, 2017 -
Deep Dive
The White House isn't waiting any longer to try to bring down the ACA
President Donald Trump’s recent claim that “there is no such thing as Obamacare anymore” is certainly exaggeration, but his administration’s intention to get to that point is clear after last week's executive order and decision to end cost-sharing reduction payments.
By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 18, 2017 -
Senators say they've reached a bipartisan agreement to refund CSRs
The preliminary deal also reportedly tweaks the waiver process states can use to bypass some ACA requirements.
By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 18, 2017 -
Anthem leaves Express Scripts behind to roll out its own PBM
Named IngenioRx, the new pharma middleman is scheduled to debut in 2020.
By Jacob Bell • Oct. 18, 2017 -
CMS supports Kansas Medicaid waiver rejected by Obama administration
The state has a one-year extension for a waiver that allows it to cover most of its Medicaid population in a managed care plan.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 18, 2017 -
Anthem building large health IT hub in Atlanta
The 21-story facility will support about 3,000 IT professionals.
By Meg Bryant • Oct. 17, 2017 -
Report: Opioids lead in medication-related liability claims
Close to half of all opioid-related medical liability claims involved a primary care prescriber.
By Meg Bryant • Oct. 17, 2017 -
MA, Optum customers contribute to UnitedHealth's strong Q3
The company during an earnings call showed interest in the recent executive order allowing for association health plans and extending short-term plans.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 17, 2017 -
Next Generation ACOs show positive results
Accountable care organizations in the Next Generation program take on more financial risk than other programs, but can see a bigger payoff from savings created through improvements in care.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 17, 2017 -
U.S. News & World Report announces top Medicare plans for 2018
The report comes on the heels of CMS’ Medicare Star Ratings last week.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 16, 2017 -
Trump administration to cut off CSR payments, dealing blow to ACA
The move to eliminate CSRs, which help insurers finance out-of-pocket healthcare costs for low-income consumers, could destabilize the ACA exchanges after Republicans were unable to repeal the law through legislation.
By Jeff Byers , Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 13, 2017 -
Delivery of care expected to get harder, doctors predict
More than seven in 10 doctors still prefer fee-for-service over value-based care models.
By Meg Bryant • Oct. 13, 2017 -
Molina names insurance veteran as new CEO
Joseph Zubretsky most recently served as president and CEO of The Hanover Insurance Group.
By Meg Bryant • Oct. 12, 2017 -
Healthcare price growth drops to lowest level in nearly two years
Hospital spending remains the slowest growing healthcare sector, according to a new Altarum Institute report.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 12, 2017 -
Trump undercuts ACA with new plan options
An executive order will allow for health plans that do not have essential benefits or protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 12, 2017 -
Survey: Reimbursement issues main barrier for telehealth expansion
A majority of healthcare organizations said they plan to expand telehealth use, citing patient convenience, improved outcomes and lower costs as key benefits.
By Meg Bryant • Oct. 11, 2017 -
Analysis: Is healthcare spending growth past the ACA bump?
A new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation blog post notes hospital spending growth has slowed as payers have pushed for more outpatient services.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 11, 2017 -
Medicare Advantage star ratings show little change
The number of top performing plans decreased from 49% in 2017 to 44% this year, but the percentage of enrollees in those plans increased.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 11, 2017 -
Hospitals defend 340B drug program amid scrutiny
Lawmakers are calling for more oversight as questions arise over whether savings from the program are being used as intended, but hospitals say the concerns are overblown.
By Shannon Muchmore • Oct. 11, 2017 -
Express Scripts to buy eviCore Healthcare for $3.6B
EviCore contracts with health plans and commercial clients to ensure appropriate use of healthcare services.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 10, 2017 -
Deep Dive
Investors are approaching hospital stocks cautiously
Some unfavorable financial trends and an air of uncertainty for healthcare's future in Congress has led to an environment not particularly friendly for major investment.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 10, 2017 -
Connecticut health system sues Anthem over ER reimbursement change
Hartford HealthCare is suing the payer after the two sides did not come to a new contract agreement.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 10, 2017 -
UnitedHealth survey: Most Americans don't understand basic health plan terms
The survey also found a large increase in the number of people using the internet and mobile apps to compare health prices.
By Les Masterson • Oct. 10, 2017
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