The states of Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Washington will receive $181 million in grants from the Health and Human Services Department to help them establish health insurance exchanges.

Leading financial analysts scoffed at the notion of a healthcare IT “bubble” that could slow the pace of mergers and acquisitions this year. Speaking on a panel called “Financing The Deal” at the Nashville Health Care Council, they predicted that 2012 M&A activity would be brisk, though not superheated.

Two companies in Maine have recently teamed up to provide an innovative and affordable healthcare plan to employees. The plan not only pays claims but also rewards those in good health with cash incentives.

Michael McKay, 32, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.. pleaded guilty in district court on May 11 for forging physician’s chart notes to make Medicare or private carrier claims qualify for reimbursements for bone growth stimulator medical devices.

As the number of home health agencies and fraud cases related to home health agencies continues to skyrocket, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is exerting more pressure on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to fulfill an obligation that is 15 years old.

As the healthcare industry continues to move in the direction of using compensation incentives, a new analysis reveals that incentives as currently used are not an effective motivator for healthcare professionals and waste an estimated $20 billion in resources.

Jeffrey Selwyn, an internist at New Pueblo Medicine in Tucson, Ariz., is 65, but he says he's nowhere near retiring. Unlike many docs his age who are throwing in the towel due to the increased pressures on physicians to use EHRs, Selwyn is excited. He wasn't always a fan, however.