Policy and Legislation
Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) Inc., the parent company of Parkridge Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Physician Services, has agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Justice $16.5 million to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act and the Stark Statute in 2007.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder wants to bring Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan under the same laws regulating other insure by forcing it to become a mutual insurance company effectively stripping it of its tax exemptions.
Organizations are beginning to recognize the importance of value-based purchasing. One industry expert offers three strategies for getting started immediately and making the most of this new payment model.
With childrens dental coverage set to expand as a result of health reform , the dental industry is trying to get a sense of what the dental insurance market, and the state and federal rules impacting it, might look like in the coming years.
According to the authors of a new analysis published Wednesday in Health Affairs, there are three overlying lessons for state and federal healthcare policy makers to be learned from Massachusett's healthcare law experiences.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Tuesday that Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are projected to increase enrollment by 11 percent in 2013 and that average premium prices will remain unchanged. The news follows last month's announcement that Medicare Part D prescription drug plan premiums would also hold steady.
The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is the future of healthcare in the United States says the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) - but only if PCMHs are led by doctors.
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has begun its second cycle of funding requests and is seeking applications. Up to $96 million for comparative effectiveness research is available.
An Office of Management and Budget (OMB) report released last week that showed sequestration would cause an $11 billion cut to Medicare and looming cuts to physician reimbursements under the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR) has physicians groups saying the cuts would eviscerate their ability to provide quality care.
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have shown considerable promise, demonstrating savings and reduced readmission rates, said a recent Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice study.