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Policy and Legislation

By Jeff Lagasse | 11:54 am | May 27, 2016
While smaller community hospitals would have gotten more money, reports say Partners Healthcare, the state's largest hospital system, could have stood to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance reimbursements.
By Jack McCarthy | 01:24 pm | May 26, 2016
Seeking to improve patient safety and reduce hospital readmissions, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is readying a series of "Hospital Improvement and Innovation Networks" (HIINs).
By Bernie Monegain | 10:22 am | May 26, 2016
Coordination is critical to successfully fending off cybercriminals, Intermountain Healthcare CIO and College of Healthcare Information Management Executives Board Chair Marc Probst told a congressional panel on Wednesday.
By Kaiser Health News | 08:56 am | May 26, 2016
Steven Lipstein, chief executive of BJC, which includes Barnes-Jewish hospital in St. Louis, said Medicare doesn't play fair because its formula for setting penalties does not factor in patients with socioeconomic disadvantages -- low-income, poor health habits and chronic illnesses for instance -- that contribute to repeated hospitalizations.
By Susan Morse | 12:59 pm | May 25, 2016
On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee passed the "Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act," a bill that, among other provisions, provides financial relief for hospitals that were in the process of building off-campus outpatient centers in 2015 when the reimbursement policy was changed.
By Susan Morse | 02:01 pm | May 24, 2016
Avalere said the cost to beneficiaries could be higher if they bought in at a younger age, mainly because Medicare offers no financial out-of-pocket cap on services.
By Jeff Lagasse | 01:16 pm | May 24, 2016
The Office for Civil Rights, a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, today clarified that doctors and hospitals can charge more than $6.50 to provide patients an electronic copy of their records if they can show that the actual costs were higher.
By Susan Morse | 10:21 am | May 24, 2016
The American College of Emergency Physicians is suing the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies for setting payment rules that result in inadequate reimbursement for out-of-network emergency medical services, according to the civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on May 12.
By Susan Morse | 05:15 pm | May 20, 2016
The legislation gives improved consideration of socioeconomic status in the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.
By Kaiser Health News | 09:03 am | May 19, 2016
The proposal needs federal approval to modify the marketplace set up under the Affordable Care Act, which specifically prohibits such immigrants from joining the exchanges. Lara's bill SB10 would compel California to seek that approval.