CMS proposes federally-facilitated HIX regs
March, 14 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a framework for the federally-facilitated exchange in a draft letter, outlining the agency's tentative plans for certification, networks, rate review and consumer support. Read more »
Oklahoma's largest health system builds medical home model
March, 14 2013
INTEGRIS Health, Oklahoma's largest health system, announced Thursday it will incorporate Phytel's population health and care management tools to help build a medical home model. Read more »
Connecticut looks for savings by moving some in Medicaid to HIX plans
March, 13 2013
In 2012, Connecticut lawmakers passed a budget banking on $50 million in Medicaid savings from a plan limiting coverage for certain low-income young adults -- before the federal government approved a waiver for the plan. Read more »
Oregon governor to sign medical error mediation bill
March, 13 2013
In Oregon, a bill to encourage mediation in disputes over medical errors is headed to the governor, in what supporters say is a step -- if small -- in the direction of malpractice reform. Read more »
More large employers adding on-site health clinics
March, 13 2013
A new report finds the number of employers with on-site health clinics continues to grow in the face of health reform as companies seek ways to make employees more productive while they also attempt to take more control over their healthcare spending. Read more »
Ryan budget plan proposes scrapping the ACA
March, 12 2013
Banking on repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan (R) on Tuesday unveiled a plan targeting four major areas of reform -- second on the list is healthcare. Read more »
HIX Digest: Week of March 11, 2013
March, 12 2013
Texas Blue begins HIX outreach and Covered California mulls promotions with major retailers like Walmart in this week's HIX Digest. Read more »
Survey shows fewer than 2 percent of health plans provide all EHBs
March, 12 2013
A new report from health plan comparison website HealthPocket.com shows that fewer than 2 percent of all health plans sold on the individual market today provide all of the essential health benefits (EHBs) as required under health reform. Read more »
Cleveland Clinic and CHS launch quality alliance
March, 12 2013
Community Health Systems, one of the largest publicly-traded hospital systems in the country, and Cleveland Clinic have announced a strategic alliance aimed at allowing the two organizations to share clinical information to improve care and operational efficiency. Read more »
Preventive health services not always cost effective
March, 12 2013
A new report by Trust for America's Health offers solutions to policy makers and the public to increase preventative healthcare. According to the report, prevention improves health and productivity "while saving billions in health care costs." Read more »
Consumer interest in health insurance exchanges is up, new study shows
March, 11 2013
The introduction of health insurance exchanges is generating interest among health plan members who purchase insurance directly, as well as those who have high deductibles and/or lower levels of overall satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 Member Health Plan Study released today. Read more »
Intermountain tool takes aim at heart failure readmissions
March, 11 2013
Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center announced last week they have developed a tool designed to eliminate 30-day hospital readmissions for heart failure patients and improve the quality of medical care a patient receives in the hospital. Read more »
Carville, Rove duke it out at HIMSS13
March, 08 2013
In the grand finale of the 2013 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Karl Rove and James Carville took the stage for a most theatrical debate on sequestration, party politics, immigration and, of course, healthcare reform. Read more »
Minnesota committee to reconcile HIX bills
March, 08 2013
Key decisions for Minnesota's health insurance exchange now have to be settled by a legislative conference committee, after House and Senate bills established different financing, board membership and regulatory provisions. Read more »
AHIP goes on the offensive over proposed cuts for Medicare Advantage plans
March, 08 2013
When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed, in mid-February, an additional 2.3 percent cut to the rates it pays private insurers for running Medicare Advantage plans in 2014, the reaction from America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) was swift, comprehensive and sustained. Read more »
GAO: CMS overpaid Medicare Advantage by as much as $5.1 billion
March, 07 2013
A report issued this week by the Government Accountability Office reports that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services overpaid the Medicare Advantage program run by private health insurers by between $3.2 billion and $5.1 billion for the years 2010-2012. Read more »
Workplace wellness programs save money through cost shifting, study says
March, 06 2013
While many companies across the country are seeing positive results and cost savings through their workplace wellness programs, a new study from Health Affairs suggests that the savings employers may strive for with these programs may more likely come from cost shifting to the most vulnerable employees rather than employees' improved health. Read more »
Operating rules improve operations
March, 06 2013
By 2014, the core operating rules will likely have a major effect on reimbursement and revenue cycle processes and, as a result, payments, according to speakers who represented the payer, provider and banking perspectives at a Tuesday session titled "The Business Side of Care" during the 2013 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition. Read more »
Urban Institute: 3:1 age rating likely shockless
March, 05 2013
Concerns over young buyer "sticker shock" and adverse selection associated with new 3:1 age rating rules have been largely overblown, according to an Urban Institute study finding that premium subsidies will offset increases for many young insurance consumers. Read more »
Connecticut hospitals anticipate 'devastating' budget cuts
March, 05 2013
While Connecticut's 2014-2015 budget has yet to be finalized, hospitals and healthcare systems in the state are claiming that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposed cuts of more than $500 million in hospital funding over the next two years would be devastating. Read more »
Minnesota Democrats disagree on HIX regulatory authority
March, 05 2013
Two years after receiving federal planning grants and 9 months after inking an IT contract, the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange's enabling legislation is being finalized by state lawmakers, amid competing visions for regulatory scope. Read more »
High female mortality rates suggest need for financing population health strategies
March, 04 2013
Women in a number of counties located primarily in the South and West have higher mortality rates than those in other regions, and the reasons extend beyond access to medical care, according to research published in the March issue of Health Affairs. Read more »
Physicians commission urges end to fee-for-service
March, 04 2013
A physicians commission co-chaired by former Senate majority leader Bill Frist, MD, a Republican and heart surgeon from Tennessee, is calling for the federal government to phase out the fee-for-service payment model within the next decade. Read more »
Medicare beneficiaries with severe mental illness have significantly higher costs
March, 04 2013
A new series of data briefs prepared by Avalere Health and released by the SCAN Foundation show that seniors enrolled in traditional Medicare who suffer from severe mental illness (SMI) and substance abuse disorder (SUD) cost the program an average of five times more than those without SMI in 2010. Read more »
Using ICD-10 to improve finances
March, 04 2013
As the ICD-10 deadline looms closer, many healthcare organizations are still trying to come up with the most effective communications, collaboration and testing strategies to assure implementation of the diagnostic and procedural code set change. Read more »
