Policy and Legislation
In the Congressional Budget Office's latest long-term budget outlook, the nonpartisan federal agency continued to hammer the message that the country's aging population and rising healthcare costs mean that lawmakers and the country as a whole have difficult choices to make in the days ahead.
Last week, a number of major national hospital organizations, such as the American Hospital Association (AHA), lent their support to the recently updated Statement of Principles and Guidelines on practices that hospitals should follow in regards to billing and collection, which incorporate patient-friendly billing practices.
Value-based purchasing (VBP) is gaining favor over the conventional fee-for-service model with many healthcare leaders, according to a Forbes Insight study released Tuesday.
The obesity epidemic in the U.S. will eventually bankrupt the nation if left unchecked, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, which held a webcast Tuesday to outline its recommendations for curbing the crisis.
Exclusive of the health reform law, a majority of states have established delivery system qualifications and payment policies to promote Medicaid's medical homes program.
A new study found that most low-income people dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid continue to receive benefits separately via fee-for-service arrangement and that gaps in data may hinder deliberations on how to effectively manage care for this population.
An analysis of hospices active in Medicare between 1999 and 2009 published in the June issue of Health Affairs is an attempt to shed some light on the degree of the changes transforming the industry and to point the industry in the direction it should be focusing on.
According to the American Hospital Association's first quarter RACTrac Survey released last month, hospitals continue to report an increase in Medicare recovery audit contractor (RAC) payment denials.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a partnership with providers, care givers and patients aimed at improving the care and use of antipsychotic medications for patients in nursing homes.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced last week the appointment of five new members and the reappointment of one existing member to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The official announcement will be published in the Federal Register.