Reimbursement

Exclusive of the health reform law, a majority of states have established delivery system qualifications and payment policies to promote Medicaid's medical homes program.

To date, 32 organizations across the country are participating in the Pioneer ACO initiative, hoping to inspire others in their regions to follow suit. As the benefits of adopting this model become clear, more organizations are looking to explore the possibility of becoming an ACO. 

A new study found that most low-income people dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid continue to receive benefits separately via fee-for-service arrangement and that gaps in data may hinder deliberations on how to effectively manage care for this population.

According to the American Hospital Association's first quarter RACTrac Survey released last month, hospitals continue to report an increase in Medicare recovery audit contractor (RAC) payment denials.

A picture is worth a thousand words, the old saying goes. Today, HealthInfoNet, Maine's statewide health information exchange, is launching a pilot that will put both images and words at the fingertips of healthcare providers -- the better to make the right decisions for their patients.

Many healthcare providers are nervous about using the cloud, but that may change soon. Stanton Jones, an analyst in emerging technology at Information Services Group (ISG), says when companies use the cloud, they speed up.

Cigna and Granite Healthcare Network, comprising five independent charitable healthcare organizations, have announced the formation of what the two organizations are calling the largest accountable care organization (ACO) in New Hampshire.

The state's political leaders appear to be striving for a status quo wherein a large number of citizens lack health insurance or the means to obtain it. Will that spark a shift among voters during the upcoming November elections?

Healthcare providers need health information exchange to be fully automated and easy to do in order to scale up sharing of patient data to improve care, according to Farzad Mostashari, MD, the national coordinator for health information tcchnology.

Letters sent last Friday to House Ways and Means Committee chairs Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Wally Herger (R-Calif.) from the American Medical Association (AMA) and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) suggest a number of different payment approaches aimed at a long-term solution to the current Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR).