Policy and Legislation
Amid continued assertions by right-leaning politicians that full implementation of the Affordable Care Act will lead to significant job losses and stymie economic growth, the Urban Institute has released a study using Massachusetts as a model that predicts there will be little net effect to jobs and the overall economy if health reform is fully implemented.
On Oct. 18, the Massachusetts Medical Society held its State of the State's Health Care 13th Annual Leadership Forum. After the event, MMS president Richard Aghababian, MD, spoke to Healthcare Finance News Editor Rene Letourneau about the biggest challenges and top-of-mind issues facing Massachusetts' physicians.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week filed a proposed settlement in the class-action lawsuit, Jimmo vs. Sebelius, which challenged the long-standing "improvement standard", which the lawsuit contends illegally denies Medicare benefits for a range of skilled nursing and home health services.
Think the transition to ICD-10 is just learning a bunch (a real big bunch) of new codes? Think again. A session held Oct. 22 during MGMA-ACMPE's annual conference in San Antonio laid out the impact of ICD-10 on physician practices and how they can prepare for it on the cheap.
The Federal Trade Commission recently held a daylong workshop to examine the ways pet medications are distributed in the U.S. and how the current practices affect consumer choice and price competition. Pet meds are big business -- American consumers spend $7 billion on them annually -- and veterinarians and pharmacists are wrangling for their piece of the pie.
A panel discussion taking place at MGMA-ACMPE's annual conference in San Antonio Monday morning focused on the state of healthcare with an eye toward the future.
Since the Affordable Care Act was created, critics have argued that the healthcare law fails to contain healthcare costs. A new brief from the Urban Institute presents evidence illustrating the ACA's cost containment measures, but leaves room for the debate to continue.
Containing healthcare costs and improving the quality of care are among the state's top priorities said Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick at the Massachusetts Medical Society's State of the State's Health Care 13th Annual Leadership Forum in Waltham, Mass. on Oct. 18.
It has been nearly 15 years since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) iced a controversial rule requiring home health agencies (HHAs) to obtain surety bonds, but a new report by the Office of Inspector General has raised the issue again.
Massachusetts makes its first real foray into managed care with a demonstration plan focused on dual eligibles from ages 21 to 64. The plan emphasizes patient relationships with independent living support coordinators and community-based organizations.