Quality and Safety
Highmark Inc. has unveiled a new group health plan that provides incentives for members to use providers that exhibit higher quality outcomes, fewer complications and reduced readmissions.
Assurance Wireless, a federal lifeline assistance program for wireless phone service, is joining forces with Gold Mobile to offer free two-way messaging services between Medicaid and low-income patients and their healthcare providers, insurance carriers and HMOs.
The Office of Inspector General issued a "special fraud alert" cautioning that physician-owned distributorships (PODs) are "inherently suspect" under the anti-kickback statute and listing suspicious characteristics of these entities that may increase the risk of fraud and abuse.
In the last few years, it's become increasingly important for healthcare organizations to create some sort of strategy that is focused on becoming a successful social business, according to Andrew Dixon, senior vice president of marketing and operations at Igloo Software.
A total of $280 million in hospital readmissions penalties will be paid by 2,213 hospitals this year as a result of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program administered by CMS. Healthcare organizations have two options for reduction of readmissions rates.
In the first year of new medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements, insurers spent less than 1 percent of premium revenue on rebates or quality improvements, according to an analysis by the Commonwealth Fund.
As the investigation into a fatal outbreak of fungal meningitis continues, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration proposed Friday that the agency gain new authority to regulate pharmacy compounding, including charging fees to fund an expanded safety framework.
The payment of higher Medicare rates to physicians and hospitals in regions that have good health outcomes and lower costs, while reducing payment rates where there is lesser quality and higher costs will not drive individual providers to deliver care more efficiently reports the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Healthcare is part of the service industry and increased competition amongst providers should lead to cost stabilization and advancements in healthcare services. Unfortunately, multiple barriers limit the healthcare industry from behaving like other service industries.
Cancer drug shortages are forcing treatment changes and delays that for some patients have led to worse outcomes, more therapy-related complications and higher costs, according to a national survey of health professionals published Thursday.