Payer: Page 147


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    Court rejects Methodist Health Service's $300M antitrust case against competitor

    The lawsuit was filed against St. Francis in 2013, claiming the “larger and more profitable” hospital violated the Sherman Act to the detriment of Methodist.

    By , Les Masterson • June 12, 2017
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    Ana Mulero
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    Deep Dive

    AHIP17: New vision for healthcare calls for bold, forceful changes

    Providing better care at a lower cost is “truly an achievable goal,” Anthem President and CEO Joseph Swedish said. 

    By June 12, 2017
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    NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images, Edited by: Kendall Davis/Biopharma Dive
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    HHS wants help identifying 'burdensome' ACA regs

    The department says it wants to identify regulations that interfere with job growth, impose costs exceeding benefits, create serious inconsistency or are simply outdated, unnecessary or ineffective.

    By June 12, 2017
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    AHIP17: Payers, providers disagree on value-based care preparedness

    More than half of surveyed health plans said providers have the tools they need to support value-based care, but 43% of physicians said they are still lacking these tools, according to a new Quest Diagnostics study.

    By June 12, 2017
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    Most new provider-sponsored health plans not profitable

    A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report found many such systems are not aligning clinically integrated networks and accountable care organizations to their health plan strategy. Instead, they are reducing costs by paying providers less.  

    By Les Masterson • June 12, 2017
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    Price remains mum on CSRs, AHCA details at budget hearings

    With less than two weeks until the deadline for participating in the ACA exchanges, it’s getting too late for promises on cost-sharing payments to matter.

    By June 9, 2017
  • TMF: Patient portals can reduce phone calls

    LexisNexis Risk Solutions and the AMA have also jointly launched an online portal designed to keep health plan provider directories up to date.

    By June 8, 2017
  • Medicare Advantage premiums steady as membership grows

    One-third of Medicare beneficiaries are covered by a Medicare Advantage plan.  

    By Les Masterson • June 8, 2017
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    Dollar Photo Club
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    Deep Dive

    Is value-based care making a difference?

    “CMS is pleased with the trend … but the actual dollar amounts that are being saved are not huge compared to the healthcare spend overall,” says healthcare consultant Holly Martin.

    By June 7, 2017
  • Anthem pulls out of Ohio, leaving more with no ACA plan choices

    The insurer said one of the main reasons for its exit is “increasing lack of overall predictability,” such as whether cost-sharing payments will continue.

    By June 7, 2017
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    Deborah Barrington
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    Nevada legislature passes Medicaid for all

    Gov. Brian Sandoval has yet to say whether he will sign the bill, and there are plenty of other outstanding questions such as the plan design and cost.  

    By Les Masterson • June 6, 2017
  • Tenet, Humana come to agreement on new contract

    The companies had failed to reach an agreement in 2016, which left Humana members unable to get covered care in Tenet facilities.

    By Les Masterson • June 6, 2017
  • Single-payer healthcare system in California still a long way from reality

    The state Assembly needs to finalize the bill to add more specifics about the proposed system and how the state would fund it.

    By Les Masterson • June 5, 2017
  • Opinion

    Performance improvement initiatives: Are you playing 'whack-a-mole'?

    Without looking at enterprise-wide performance indicators and their often complex interplay, organizations risk playing “whack-a-mole” with their performance improvement efforts, argues David Costello, chief analytics officer at Verscend Technologies.

    By David Costello • June 5, 2017
  • States are watching as payers decide ACA exchange participation

    As more insurers announce they are pulling out of the exchange markets and others say they need to file substantial premium increases, states are warning of few choices and high costs for their residents.

    By June 5, 2017
  • Provider groups ask Medicare Advantage be counted as APM under MACRA in 2019

    The groups requested that the agency include MA for the 5% Quality Payment Program bonus in 2019 and 2020.

    By Les Masterson • June 5, 2017
  • For-profit hospitals lead the pack of widely varied ED charges

    The markups often result in surprise medical bills, which state legislatures are trying to fight.

    By June 2, 2017
  • EHR vendor eClinicalWorks to pay $155M in False Claims Act case

    This is the first time an EHR vendor has been held accountable by the government "for failing to meet federal standards designed to ensure patient safety and quality patient care,” a partner at Phillips & Cohen said.  

    By June 1, 2017
  • Freedom Health agrees to pay $31.7M to settle Medicare Advantage whistleblower case

    The DOJ said the organization submitted or caused others to submit unsupported diagnosis codes to the CMS and made “material misrepresentations to CMS regarding the scope and content of its network of providers."

    By Les Masterson • May 31, 2017
  • AstraZeneca taps outcomes deals to boost cardio, diabetes meds

    Two agreements with Harvard Pilgrim for Brilinta and Bydureon will link drug costs to certain patient outcomes — the most recent examples of value-based deals. 

    By Ned Pagliarulo • May 31, 2017
  • Cleveland Clinic adds big name to VBC task force

    The Health Care Transformation Task Force has more than 40 members representing providers, payers, purchasers and patients.

    By May 31, 2017
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    Skyrocketing chronic diseases will cause major healthcare spending spike

    The annual cost of someone with five or more chronic diseases is $45,000, according to a report from the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.

    By Les Masterson • May 31, 2017
  • UPDATE: DC to hear out MedStar over dropped Medicaid contract pool

    A procedural move by D.C. council members will give MedStar 45 days to make its case for the contract.

    By May 30, 2017
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    Deep Dive

    Children's hospitals — and their patients — caught in the crosshairs with planned federal cuts

    The proposed funding cuts would increase the rate of uninsured children and burden children’s hospitals with more uncompensated care.

    By Les Masterson • May 30, 2017
  • CMS: New Medicare cards combat fraud and illegal use

    The cards will use a randomly-assigned Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number instead of a Social Security number.

    By Les Masterson • May 30, 2017