Reimbursement

When AHIP Institute convenes on June 15, the conference and exhibition will in reality be four events rolled into one.

Health plans that focus their energy on the four areas of health reform compliance, increasing administrative efficiency, improving quality of care and finding a successful method of competing in health insurance exchanges are those that will prosper over the long-haul.

A growing number of medical professionals are signing up to accept TRICARE, the healthcare plan for members of the uniformed services, retirees and their families, according to the Department of Defense.

While many states are dragging their feet on setting up their state health insurance exchanges and their specific structures remain unknown, health plans can nonetheless start work now to address operational and strategic changes they will need to make in order to participate in this new distribution channel.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on Wednesday it will extend the deadline for accountable care organizations that want to apply to be Pioneer ACO models. CMS officials said they are looking for advanced ACO programs to lead the way for ACO development nationwide.

Optimism among chief financial officers in the United States has fallen, but spending plans indicate continued moderate growth over the next year, according to the most recent Duke University/CFO Global Business Outlook Survey.

WellPoint Inc. announced today that it entered into an agreement to acquire CareMore Health Group, a Medicare Advantage health plan that also operates 26 clinics in select markets in California, Arizona and Nevada.

The State of Michigan is the latest entity to sue San Francisco-based prescription drug wholesaler McKesson Corp., for allegedly artificially inflating prices for certain brand name and generic drugs.

In a turnaround from earlier this year when it requested rate increases of more than 59 percent for some policy holders, Blue Shield of California announced yesterday it would limit its net income to no more than 2 percent of revenue.

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) has realized $262 million in net savings during the fourth year of Your Healthcare Plus, a care management program administered by McKesson.