Billing and Collections
Four companies running urgent care centers in New York have agreed to disclose more fully which insurance plans they accept, following an inquiry by the state's attorney general that found unclear or incomplete information on their websites that could result in larger-than-expected bills for consumers.
St. Luke's University Health Network recently launched a price transparency tool that, unlike other price portals that post per-service estimates, bundles prices for many medical procedures so patients have a more accurate sense of what their care will cost.
Nonprofit hospitals need to do more than ever to keep their tax-exempt status, as Section 501(r) of the Internal Revenue Code adds new requirements to any organization operating a licensed hospital to maintain these benefits.
For many hospitals, a sound financial assistance policy is the only way to bridge the gap between giving life-saving treatment to the patients who need it, while protecting their balance sheets from bad debt.
Mobile payments solutions are gaining traction in the healthcare industry, according to experts, as the smartphone revolution takes root in American healthcare.
CareDx in California is pushing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to keep the current reimbursement price for its heart transplant blood test AlloMap, or the company may have to close, according to CEO Peter Maag.
Although larger practices may have the resources to provide benefits to patients through better care coordination or access to new technologies, among other things, these practices' greater market power may enable them to charge higher prices than smaller practices, the study authors said.
According to an analysis released Wednesday, it can pay to shop around for women's health care, with mammograms and other routine services often costing far more in one office than in another.
The study from the Health Care Cost Institute found discrepancies within some of the 41 areas of the country it studied using its rare data trove-billing claims from three of the biggest commercial insurers.
A new consumer website unveiled Monday by the California Department of Insurance hopes to help Californians better shop for health care based on both quality and price.