News

Just because it's hard to achieve a payer mix that better supports a health system's bottom line, it's not impossible.

The Food and Drug Administration has dropped a recall of some 2,800 scope-cleaning machines in use at hospitals and clinics nationwide despite a finding by a top agency scientist last year that the action was "necessary to protect public health."

A group of more than 2,000 physicians is calling for the creation of a publicly financed, single-payer national health program that would cover all Americans for all medically necessary care. The physicians voiced their support in a proposal published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health.

Consultants hired by the health system that owns Nantucket Cottage Hospital in Massachusetts made several errors that led to lower wages being reported to Medicare for the hospital, which could potentially lead to a $160 million drop in federal Medicare payments over the next fiscal year for facilities across the state.

The implementation of MACRA and the introduction of the Quality Payment Program is "flexible common-sense approach" for paying physicians, acting Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Andy Slavitt said at the American Hospital Association's annual membership meeting this week, though the government is actively seeking feedback on the new program.

Healthcare businesses added 44,000 jobs in April, another big surge for the industry and representing more than a quarter of the 160,000 jobs created that month among all hiring sectors, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

(SPONSORED) The advent of population health presents challenges and opportunities to payers.

While surgical screws or sponges can cost a hospital less than a penny each, when a surgeon accentially leaves one of these behind in a patient's body the mistake can cost both patientsa and healthcare providers dearly.

With the healthcare industry suddenly accounting for nearly 25 percent of all data breaches, a new study from The Brookings Institution suggests some new cybersecurity strategies are needed.

The delay will give CMS additional time to conduct focused consumer testing of how the star ratings are displayed on Healthcare.gov.