COVID-19 terms such as quarantine, flatten the curve, social distance, and personal protective equipment (PPE) have dominated headlines in recent months, but what hasn’t been discussed in length are the hidden costs of COVID-19 as it relates to patient adherence.
The coronavirus pandemic has amplified this long-standing issue in healthcare as patients are delaying routine preventative and ongoing care for ailments such as mental health and chronic disease. Emergency care is also
Read More
Healthcare Policy Regulation & Reform | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Intermountain, Sanford Health Signs Intent to Merge
What You Should Know:
- Intermountain Healthcare and Sanford Health sign a letter of intent to merge that will created a combined health system employing more than 89k people at 70 hospitals and 435 clinics across seven states.
Intermountain Healthcare and Sanford Health, one of the nation’s leading systems in rural health care delivery and clinical research, have signed a letter of intent to develop a strategic partnership. The boards of both not-for-profit organizations approved a
Read More
CMS Direct Contracting Model Options for Value-Based Care
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) created the Direct Contracting Model to expand opportunities for more diverse providers and healthcare organizations to participate in value-based care arrangements for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries.
The goal of the new model is to create the next generation of risk-sharing arrangements to improve outcomes for patients, lower costs, and ensure high-quality care. In developing the Direct Contracting model and associated
Read More
Humana, Fresenius Medical Care Expand Partnership to Improve Care Coordination for Medicare Advantage Members
What You Should Know:
- Humana Inc. and Fresenius Medical Care North America
(FMCNA) today announced an agreement to broaden their collaboration toward
improving the health of eligible Humana Medicare Advantage members
- The
agreement between Humana and Fresenius Medical Care North America goes into
effect Jan. 1, 2021.
Humana Inc. and leading renal care company Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) announced an agreement to broaden their collaboration toward improving the
Read More
Walmart to Offer Medicare Insurance Plans During 2020 Open Enrollment
What You Should Know:
- Walmart announced it will begin selling Medicare
insurance plans during this year’s annual enrollment period, Oct. 15 through
Dec. 7.
Today, Walmart
announced the launch of Walmart
Insurance Services, LLC, a licensed insurance brokerage, which will assist
people with enrolling in insurance plans—and simplify what’s historically been
a cumbersome, confusing process. Walmart Insurance Services will begin selling
Medicare insurance plans during this year’s Annual
Read More
Molina Healthcare Acquires Affinity Health Plan for $380M
What You Should Know:
- Molina Healthcare acquires New York-based Medicaid managed care organization Affinity Health Plan for $330M in cash serving members in New York City, Westchester, Orange, Nassau, Suffolk, and Rockland counties.
- As of August 31, 2020, Affinity served approximately 284,000 Medicaid members. Affinity’s premium revenue for the trailing twelve months ended July 31, 2020, was approximately $1.3 billion.
- The net purchase price of approximately $380 million
Read More
Collaborative Health Systems’ ACOs Delivers $335M in Medicare Savings
Collaborative
Health Systems (CHS) announced today that its Medicare Shared Savings
Program (MSSP) Accountable
Care Organizations (ACOs) delivered $335 million in total savings to
Medicare and $183 million in shared savings since 2012, according to figures
released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Defining Medicare ACOs
Medicare ACOs are groups of doctors, hospitals, and other
healthcare providers who come together voluntarily to provide coordinated,
high-quality
Read More
CloudMD Acquires Digital Patient Engagement Platform iMD Health Global for $10M
What You Should Know:
- CloudMD announces it will acquire digital patient engagement platform iMD Health Global for $10M
- The integration of iMD’s educational platform will enable CloudMD to provide its entire network of over 3000 healthcare practitioners, specialists, and allied health professionals and almost 3 million patients with valuable educational resources on healthcare issues, treatments, and preventative solutions.
CloudMD Software & Services Inc., a Vancouver,
Read More
HHS Announces Investments for STAR HIE Program to Support State and Local Public Health Agencies
What You Should Know:
- HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will award up to five 5 cooperative
agreements under the Strengthening
the Technical Advancement and Readiness of Public Health Agencies via Health Information Exchange
(STAR HIE) Program.
The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) today issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity to expand and
accelerate innovative
Read More
Dealing with Medical Malpractice as a Doctor Amid a Pandemic
Coronavirus is a deadly virus with a high transmission rate. It has become so widespread that it has now disrupted the economies of every country on the planet. Since it is a novel virus, there are still tons about it that we do not know.
However, one thing rings true—the health and safety of the general public is of utmost importance. Who is at the helm of all this? All the medical frontline workers who are risking their lives to contain the virus and treat all
Read More
