Susan Morse
Due to the opioid crisis, CMS is removing questions regarding pain communication from the hospital patient experience survey.
Physician fee schedule and quality payment rule also makes updates to interoperability, telehealth and prescription drug costs.
Wisconsin becomes the fourth state to require Medicaid beneficiaries to work, get job training or volunteer as a condition of receiving the benefit.
Future growth and savings will come from Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and PBM IngenioRx.
The study, conducted prior to the insurer getting approval to acquire Express Scripts, shows a 9 percent reduction in high cost medical claims.
Adjusted earnings for Q3 reflect a $130 million pre-tax impact from an unfavorable provider arbitration ruling related to Aetna's exit from the ACA.
Health insurers and providers are increasingly addressing the social determinants to bring down costs and to provide better care.
Enrollment in MA is projected to increase by 11.5 percent, and the number of plans to increase by 600 next year.
The International Pricing Index model would reset Medicare payments for physician-administered drugs.
Superintendent Maria Vullo wants guardrails to ensure promised synergies result in cost savings for consumers.