Reimbursement
Health plans are heading toward 100 percent participation in accountable care organizations (ACOs), according to a new study, with 78 percent of respondents already part of one, and 22 percent planning to participate in one. This is all leading to a scramble for health IT.
In light of the recent Readmissions Reduction Program under the Affordable Care Act, numerous hospitals and medical industry experts are examining new approaches that will decrease the rate of hospital readmissions. "The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates $15 billion is spent annually on readmissions for Medicare patients, with $12 billion of that amount being preventable," said Jeff Huber.
Tennessee health officials have drafted a plan aimed at helping low income families maintain a continuity of care with health coverage shared through Medicaid and partial insurance.
On Oct. 18, the Massachusetts Medical Society held its State of the State's Health Care 13th Annual Leadership Forum. After the event, MMS president Richard Aghababian, MD, spoke to Healthcare Finance News Editor Rene Letourneau about the biggest challenges and top-of-mind issues facing Massachusetts' physicians.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week filed a proposed settlement in the class-action lawsuit, Jimmo vs. Sebelius, which challenged the long-standing "improvement standard," which the lawsuit contends illegally denies Medicare benefits for a range of skilled nursing and home health services.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week filed a proposed settlement in the class-action lawsuit, Jimmo vs. Sebelius, which challenged the long-standing "improvement standard", which the lawsuit contends illegally denies Medicare benefits for a range of skilled nursing and home health services.
Think the transition to ICD-10 is just learning a bunch (a real big bunch) of new codes? Think again. A session held Oct. 22 during MGMA-ACMPE's annual conference in San Antonio laid out the impact of ICD-10 on physician practices and how they can prepare for it on the cheap.
St. Louis-based Centene announced reduced earnings in its third quarter report, citing losses associated with retroactive member assignments in a Kentucky Medicaid managed care contract it's now seeking to terminate.
A new issue brief by the Commonwealth Fund says that changes within the Affordable Care Act will lower per-beneficiary costs to nearly the same costs for traditional Medicare when fully implemented in 2017.
To the surprise of some, healthcare wound its way into Monday night's debate -- though the matter only garnered a brief mention by GOP nominee Mitt Romney.