Mary Mosquera
Geographic variations in Medicare medical treatment costs can differ among episodes of care for certain conditions and not only across but within regions, according to a new study from the Center for Studying Health System Change.
Fifty-five hospitals located in 21 states will pay a total of $34 million to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare for a spinal procedure that often can be performed on an outpatient basis without the need of costly hospital admissions.
The Obama administration announced that it has delayed until 2015 the healthcare reform law's requirement that businesses with more than 50 employees must offer them insurance, bending to criticism that requirements were burdensome and complex.
Electronics giant Royal Philips has formed a $300 million, 15-year alliance with Georgia Regents Medical Center (GRMC) creating what the two organizations say is a first-of-its-kind delivery model in the United States.
Employers across the economy will be looking for professionals with sharp cognitive skills gained in life sciences education.
Practices find that preparing for new payment models with insurers, the uncertainty of Medicare reimbursement rates and the difficulty in collecting from self-pay, high deductible patients are top challenges in annual survey.
Findings in a JAMA article indicate that providers may need to focus on methods beyond care coordination and disease management in order to reduce costs among Medicare patients with chronic conditions and a high portion of spending,
Data from 10 states that will offer more health plans in the non-group market on their health insurance exchanges may also lower prices, according to analysis from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The acquisition is valued at $4.3 billion and includes the assumption of $2.5 billion in Vanguard debt, as the sector continues to consolidate in the face of the Affordable Care Act.
Major changes driven by the Affordable Care Act and rising consumer cost-sharing are slowing the rise in the healthcare growth rate, according to PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI).