What You Should Know:
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a proposed rule for the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS).
- The proposal aims to increase quality care for Medicare recipients while significantly reducing unnecessary spending. Key initiatives include advancing primary care management through new quality measures, reducing waste in skin substitute spending, and introducing a new payment model focused on
Read More
Health IT | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Beyond Patient-Centric: The Rise of Evidence-Based, Content-Centric Care
he past decade has seen healthcare undergo a paradigm shift. Walking into a treatment room today, the dynamic with patients is fundamentally different from even a few years ago. No longer satisfied with passively receiving care, patients – in particular, younger generations like Gen Z – increasingly want a seat at the table. They want to be active, informed participants in all aspects of their health care. And the data backs this up. According to McKinsey, only 42% of Gen Z depend on doctors for
Read More
Omega Healthcare Expands Microsoft Collaboration, Launches 20+ AI Solutions to Transform Revenue Cycle Management
What You Should Know:
- Omega Healthcare, a provider of technology-enabled Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) services, today announced an expanded collaboration with Microsoft.
- Through the integration of Microsoft Azure's cutting-edge AI models via Azure AI Foundry and the company's proprietary Omega Digital Platform (ODP), Omega Healthcare has launched more than 20 generative and agentic AI solutions designed to enhance healthcare organizations' revenue cycle operations and
Read More
FTC Penalizes NextMed $150k for Deceptive Weight-Loss Claims
What You Should Know:
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reached a settlement with Southern Health Solutions, Inc., operating as Next Medical and NextMed, and its founders Robert Epstein and CEO Frank Leonardo III.
- The FTC's charges allege the telemedicine company used deceptive cost and weight loss claims, fake reviews, and undisclosed terms to lure consumers into their weight-loss membership programs.
Deceptive Weight-Loss Claims and Hidden Fees
According
Read More
Digital Lifelines: Fortifying Healthcare’s Cybersecurity Amid Budget Cuts
IT leaders in healthcare are no strangers to pressure. They are expected to safeguard sensitive patient data, maintain compliance, and ensure teams have the technology needed to support clinical operations amid shrinking budgets and rising cyber risks. Cybercriminals know this, and they’re exploiting it.
The U.S. remains the top targeted region for ransomware attacks against healthcare organizations. The wealth of sensitive data and life-or-death stakes make these organizations more likely
Read More
New AI Model Predicts Cancer Mutations from Routine Pathology Slides, Streamlining Treatment Decisions
What You Should Know:
- A new study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and collaborators, suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly improve how doctors determine the best treatment for cancer patients by enhancing how tumor samples are analyzed in the lab.
- The compelling findings, published in the July 9 online edition of Nature Medicine, demonstrated that AI can accurately predict genetic
Read More
Providers & Payers: Prepare Now for CMS Prior Authorization Final Rule
The new administration shed light on policy issues at the top of providers’ lists for 2025. While topics like physician burnout and Medicare payment reform were included, unsurprisingly, prior authorization remains at the forefront, as proven by entities like the American Medical Association, who represent more than 270K providers. Improvements in the prior authorization and interoperability space have been historically stalled due to lack of standard data and public reports, as technology
Read More
Top U.S. Health Systems Partner with Clasp to Combat Student Debt and Clinical Staffing Shortages
What You Should Know:
- Top U.S. health systems are taking bold, employer-led action to combat two converging crises: staggering student debt and critical clinical staffing shortages. Together with Clasp, the first retention-driven recruitment platform, hospitals are launching a new model for financing education that locks in talent early, rewards retention, and makes healthcare careers more accessible.
A new generation of healthcare professionals is entering the workforce burdened
Read More
Johns Hopkins Launches Illustra Health to Transform Population Health Analytics
What You Should Know:
- Johns Hopkins Health System announced the official launch of Illustra Health, an advanced suite of analytics and implementation capabilities designed to transform the practice of population health. Developed by Johns Hopkins veterans, Illustra Health aims to convert complex data into clear, prioritized actions with a proven impact on financial performance.
- Illustra Health builds on Johns Hopkins' long-standing commitment to population health innovation and
Read More
HHS Reverses 1998 PRWORA Interpretation: Tightens “Federal Public Benefit” Access for Illegal Aliens
What You Should Know:
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced a significant policy shift aimed at restoring compliance with federal law and ensuring that taxpayer-funded program benefits, originally intended for American citizens, are not diverted to subsidize illegal aliens.
- HHS has formally rescinded a 1998 interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), which it states improperly
Read More
