Population Health
There are nearly 4 million births a year in the U.S. and 98 percent still arrive in hospitals, but the increase in birth centers run by midwives has obstetricians, health insurers and hospitals taking notice.
While payer-provider collaboration has long been important, new trends in managing population health data is strengthening that relationship as never before, according to MedeAnalytics CEO Andy Hurd, and in many ways it's changing how providers think.
New Hampshire hospitals Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Elliot Health System and Frisbie Memorial Hospital are joining with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to create a new analytics company to manage the clinical data and financial data across the organization.
Half of large employers offering health benefits have wellness programs that ask workers to submit to medical tests, often dubbed "biometrics," that can involve a trip to a doctor's office, lab or workplace health fair.
As the programs delve into ever more sensitive areas -- mental health, finances, sleep habits and pregnancy -- advocates say existing privacy and anti-discrimination laws fall short.
Healthcare mergers are much more intricate in the post-reform world, as systems are more apt to buy clinics, physician practices and digital tools than hospitals, a new report by Accenture claims.
More Americans are getting health insurance either through private or government plans than they were in 2013, according to U.S. Census figures for 2014 released Wednesday that points to the Affordable Care Act as a major driver for the change.
HHS said $350 million will go to 1,184 health centers across the country to pay for programs that improve their population's access to medical, dental, behavioral, pharmacy and vision care. The remaining $150 million will fund renovation, expansions or new construction to 160 health centers in the country.
Consumers will earn Walgreens Balance Rewards points for enrolling in and funding accounts, activating benefit debit cards, making purchases using their cards, or by participating in healthy activities such as walking, biking and weight management.
As a Standard & Poor's report finds many insurers are missing the mark on their risk-adjustment predictions, a new partnership between population health management consultant Evolent Health and Health Fidelity, which develops technology to steer providers towards value-based care, aims to fill the gap.