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Employer groups and payers are increasingly using online tools to control healthcare costs and improve their employee and member health status. "Employers are placing a significant burden on their health plan partners to provide the necessary tools and direction so employers can evaluate specific relevant trends and take action where needed," said Kevin O'Mara, vice president of Health Data Management Solutions (HDMS).

Care Health Plan is planning to release a second round of healthcare information technology grants in 2010 to position local community clinics to take advantage of HITECH Act funds. The largest U.S. public health plan's grants support its mission to aid safety-net providers, provide funding for their long-term needs and address healthcare IT disparities, said Roland Palencia, director of community benefit programs.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted on the RAC Web sites the first new issues of completed reviews in early August. Providers will use the reviews and the Office of Inspector General's audit roadmap to create or fine-tune internal processes for the Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC). CMS has not issued any guidance to providers in terms of using IT to help with compliance and auditing nor does it recommend software, said Connie Leonard, director of Recovery Audit Operations.

Expanding health centers to reach an additional 20 million patients as part of national health reform would save $212 billion from 2010 to 2019, including federal Medicaid savings of $59 billion, according to a new study.

A new report issued Monday by the General Accountability Office says Medicare reimbursement to physicians should be trimmed to account for efficiencies that occur when a physician treats the same beneficiary on the same day for multiple services.

Mercy Memorial Hospital System of Monroe, Mich., ProMedica Health System of Toledo, Ohio, and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit have announced a joint venture to bring "state-of-the-science" cancer care to Monroe and the surrounding communities.

A study done by the Group Health Cooperative indicates the "patient-centered medical home" model could reduce the cost of care for patients and help solve the nation’s primary care physician shortage.

Current methods used to estimate the costs of federal health initiatives may not capture the full impact of steps to prevent and manage chronic disease, according to a study published in Health Affairs.

PURSUING OVERDUE BILL PAYMENTS from ordinary people in a severe recession is tantamount to walking through a public relations minefield for healthcare providers. With all the amplified rhetoric in the healthcare reform debate over the high cost of healthcare and how regular citizens are financial victims of a broken system, it’s easy for providers to be cast as the villains.

Less than a year after merging with its biggest competitor, HealthPort has filed plans for a $100 million initial public offering of stock.