Healthcare Finance Staff

Most of the headlines about the choice of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as running mate for presidential candidate Mitt Romney have screamed about how the author of the House budget plan would upend the Medicare program and upset seniors' certainty about healthcare. Ryan's plans for Medicaid, however, are more extreme and immediate.

In early August, Humana purchased Harris, Rothenberg International, a private company providing employee assistance programs, or EAPs. Considering that the EAP market is so consolidated, observers say, the acquisition may be more about staying competitive than generating new revenue.

About one third of Americans are willing to receive some of their healthcare from robots, and 98 percent said they would receive robot care if it meant lower co-pays and health insurance costs.

A plan by Kansas state officials to move virtually all of the state's Medicaid recipients into managed care organizations offers a glimpse at a national trend, with potential rewards and risks for insurers mulling MCO contracts in growing Medicaid markets.

The country's five largest insurers released their second quarter earnings in late July and early August, revising their 2012 projections, for better and worse.

Ardis Dee Hoven, MD President-elect, American Medical Association Medical director, Bluegrass Care Clinic Lexington, Ky.

Fraud remains a stubborn and growing problem for the U.S. healthcare industry, raising costs for patients and cutting sharply into margins for insurance payers. Of the more than $2.5 trillion spent on healthcare in the United States annually, some $60 billion to $250 billion is lost to fraud, waste and abuse, according to industry experts. Organized crime groups and a small minority of healthcare providers commit most healthcare fraud, reports the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association.

As the acquisition of physician practices has once again become a hot topic, hospitals may be considering payment for certain intangible assets. For regulatory purposes, these transactions must remain consistent with the fair market value (FMV) standard under the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute.

For hospitals looking to transform into accountable care organizations (ACOs), the transition can be overwhelming. So much so, said Brent Dover, president at HIE technology company Medicity, that it's basically like becoming a mini insurance company.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a new rule she says will cut red tape for doctors, hospitals and health plans. In combination with a previously issued regulation, she estimates the rule will save up to $9 billion over the next 10 years.