The gamble is over for hospitals that avoided complying with CMS price transparency mandates.
After a slow start since they were implemented more than 18 months ago, CMS has issued 350 warnings for noncompliance, 157 corrective action requests, and finally issued fines to two Georgia hospitals in June. It seems many more will be on the way.
The fines are significant. The first two hospitals faced fines of roughly $880,000 and $214,000. Noncompliant hospitals with 550 beds or
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How Will New FDA Hearing Aid Regulations Impact Health Plans?
The time has finally arrived. The Food & Drug Administration’s new over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid regulations are now in effect and health plans are starting to explore what it means for them. Among the many questions they may need to grapple with, a few are particularly salient:
- How will the new rules impact their benefit offerings?
- What new opportunities will arise?
- What potential pitfalls should they be aware of?
Introducing OTC hearing
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3 Seismic Shifts Transforming Women’s Health – FemTech
My company recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, which prompted me to reflect on the progress of the women’s health sector over the last decade. There has been so much change, so many technological innovations and clinical breakthroughs. And yet, two things haven’t changed all that much. Our outcomes in the U.S. have not improved; in fact they are in decline. This is true whether you are measuring maternal mortality, health equity, or complication rates. And as an industry, we’ve yet to
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Keeping Telehealth in Great (Security) Shape
COVID-19 turned telehealth into a household term, transforming the services that healthcare providers can offer patients. Thanks to advancements in connectivity, global experts in rare procedures and conditions can connect virtually to share knowledge with local medical practitioners and surgeons – and can conduct remote consultations in the comfort and privacy of patients’ homes worldwide. Telehealth is still viable and very important to connect patients to healthcare providers, even as the
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5 Proven Strategies to Increase Employee Retention And Reduce Operational Costs In Senior Living
Staffing turnover in senior care has reached an all-time high at an annual rate of 48.5% among all employees and 68.1% among resident assistants and personal care aides. At a sunk cost of roughly $2,200 per employee, staff turnover is expensive and results in lower resident satisfaction, quality of care and occupancy.
Staff leave for a myriad of reasons, but what if a few simple changes could transform the trajectory of your organization? Luckily there are proven strategies to increase staff
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Prior Authorization Reforms Don’t Address the Real Problem. Here’s How AI Can Help.
After waiting weeks for an open appointment, John finally gets in to see the orthopedic surgeon to evaluate his acute knee pain. He’s already been off work for over two months and has barely been able to leave the house, popping anti-inflammatory and pain medicine to manage the pain every day.
Suspecting a torn meniscus, the doctor orders an MRI to verify the diagnosis and plan his treatment approach. The nurse begins the process by calling John’s insurance carrier to verify coverage,
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Using Data Analytics to Address Social Determinants of Health
Americans might run on Dunkin’ — but the healthcare industry runs on data, specifically structured and unstructured data. Easily aggregated and translated into numbers for analysis, structured data lives in databases and on spreadsheets. Unstructured data, on the other hand, is more complex. You can’t use conventional tools to process or analyze it.
Yet while it’s messy and hard to organize, it’s incredibly valuable. And one type of unstructured data is human conversations, including
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Quantum Algorithms for Healthcare
The field of computational life sciences can and should invest in the development of quantum algorithms today to take advantage of the near-term improvements and long-term transformational potential of quantum technology.
Advancements in technology have always driven breakthroughs in medicine. Robert Hooke’s detailed drawings of cells relied on his compound microscope, and the development of the COVID-19 vaccine hinged on genetic research powered by computers. The arrival of quantum
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3 Reasons the Cloud is Critical for Ensuring Patient-Centered Care
As the healthcare sector embraces value-based care, the patient – not the procedure – is the central focus for providers. But the move to patient-centered care requires several significant deviations from the status quo.
For example, more personalized treatment is required through information sharing and collaborative decision-making among providers, patients and their families. There is also a greater need to focus on overall physical, mental and emotional well-being of patients, as
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Evaluating Evidence Base in Digital Health Solutions: The Real Questions Stakeholders Should Be Asking
Throughout the pandemic, digital health companies have seen significant growth, with one study finding that U.S.-based digital health startups surpassed $29 billion in 2021, almost twice the funding seen in 2020. When done correctly, the use of these digital innovations can help people reduce the burden of dealing with mental health challenges by providing accessible, affordable, and timely care to users. As digital mental health interventions (DMHI) continue to battle it out for a leading spot
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