Budgeting
Study finds 8% of providers are spending upward of $1 million dealing with post-payment audits each year.
What was particularly troubling is that the trend appears to be getting worse, with the salary gap widening over time.
Spending on cancer drugs was 2% to 5% higher than that of non-participants, and 1% to 7% higher than physician offices -- a modest effect on consumers.
Among publicly and privately insured children in the sample, respectively, 11% and 9% received unnecessary services at least once in 2014.
Doctors, hospitals, and other health providers in the U.S. spent far more on administration due to complexity.
In 2018, total U.S. medical and health R&D investment was $194.2 billion. Of that, industry invested $129.5 billion, almost 67% of the total.
Insurers got repeal of the Cadillac tax, HIT and an extension of silver loading in year-end spending package.
Most patients showed willingness to use apps and online scheduling systems, but they were a lower priority than quality interactions.
After a slower growth rate in 2017, 2018 saw growth rates about equal to those of 2016, driven in part by the reinstatement of a fee on insurers.
Decreased labor expenses also contributed to the strong financial performance for the month, though non-labor expenses increased.