Reimbursement

A new analysis by the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) finds that Medicare spending on medical imaging continues to decline, and that Medicare patients are receiving fewer imaging procedures.

Electronic health records will become the norm, sooner than later, experts said at a summit hosted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).

Aetna and Banner Health Network will create an accountable care organization made up of Banner employed and affiliated physicians and hospitals in Arizona. The ACO will employ information technology and a team-based approach to care for patients.

Last week, I discussed four competencies that would be required to create a health plan from scratch: 1) operating at peak administrative efficiency, 2) engaging consumers, 3) shifting risk in productive ways and 4) creating the clinical outcomes-driven business. Although traditional IT strategies have often focused on automating existing processes, the new health plan will need to focus on supporting these new competencies with technology.

Aetna announced it will offer a value-based insurance plan that will eliminate or reduce member co-pays on common heart attack medications as a means to up patient medication compliance in order to keep high-risk patients healthier and out of the hospital.

It is commonly accepted that many poor veterans and their families find themselves on Medicaid, even though, in many cases, they would qualify for more generous benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced Tuesday that the Obama administration has decreased improper payments by $17.6 billion dollars in 2011.

What strikes me about the current moment in healthcare is that the new accountable care regulations attempt to make the concept of shared savings more attractive to hospitals and physicians.