Chris Anderson
Not satisfied with having cut nearly half of the $6 billion allotted under the Affordable Care Act to help create health CO-OPs, the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week voted to defund the remaining $3.4 billion in the program.
A recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that oversight by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of state Medicaid managed care programs was inconsistent and did not ensure the quality of the data used to set rates.
WellPoint Inc. yesterday announced it earned $2.53 per share in the first quarter of 2012, a drop of 8 percent compared to the same period last year, though it beat analyst projections by seven cents a share.
A rule proposed by CMS Tuesday to update Medicare payment rates for acute-care hospitals would increase payment rates to hospitals by 0.9 percent in Fiscal Year 2013.
A Commonwealth Fund brief that analyzed insurance company MLR data from 2010 shows that health insurance consumers would have received $2 billion in rebates if the new medical loss ratio (MLR) rules contained in the Affordable Care Act had been in effect that year.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced yesterday that it has signed on 27 organizations as the first under its Shared Savings Program for accountable care organizations (ACO).
Research by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and healthcare data company MedAssurant shows that Medicare Advantage (MA) managed care plans can reduce 30-day hospital readmission rates by as much as 20 percent compared to traditional Medicare fee-for-service plans (FFS).
A remote patient monitoring and care management program implemented by Geisinger Health Plan using technology provided by AMC Health has shown a 44 percent reduction in hospital readmissions, the company announced recently.
In a deal that aims to create a technology company focused on providing real-time data to doctors from both medical records and private payers, Lumeris and payers Highmark Inc., Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Independence Blue Cross announced they will acquire NaviNet for an undisclosed price.
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced last week a three-year demonstration project that will take place in four counties aimed at improving care coordination for seniors and persons with disabilities who are dually eligible for Medicare and the state's Medicaid insurance program Medi-Cal.