Editor's Note: Mark Hefner is CEO of Infina Connect Healthcare Systems, the leading provider of SaaS referral coordination solutions. Previously he led healthcare IT businesses for Allscripts, GE Healthcare and Hill-Rom.Providers of Medicare Part B services must stand up and take note: The way they are paid for Medicare is about to change drastically. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 was passed to replace the flawed Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate. When the final rule
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Healthcare Policy Regulation & Reform | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Aledade Launches Primary Care Physician-Led ACO
This week, Aledade announced it is forming a new primary care physician-led Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in Arkansas. The Aledade® Arkansas ACO will be the first of its kind in the state will start initially with ten independent practices consisting of more than 40 providers who provide care to over 12,000 Medicare beneficiaries.The Aledade® Arkansas ACO is supported by local partner the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, Inc. (AFMC), a healthcare quality improvement organization that
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Aetna Expands Accountable Care Model with Duke Health, WakeMed Health
Aetna is expanding its accountable care collaboration with Duke Health and WakeMed Health & Hospitals. The collaboration offers employers and individuals in 12 central North Carolina counties a health care option designed to improve quality, efficiency and the patient experience, and to control costs. The co-branded product called Aetna Whole Health–Duke Health & WakeMed, brings together Duke Health and WakeMed physicians, hospitals and outpatient facilities, as well as WakeMed Key
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MACRA, Brexit and the McDonaldization of Healthcare
MACRA seems to be the talk of the town right now. MACRA and MIPS and APM and the dozens of sub-acronyms flying around like so many arrows in this Game of Thrones, Battle of the Bastards. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) was signed into law over a year ago. That’s right, MACRA is the “law of the land” now, and it became law of the land with overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress and with much lobbying and cheerleading from medical associations. MACRA is not a
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3 Ways Private Exchanges Can Help Provider-Sponsored Plans Thrive
Editor's Note: Jonathan Rickert is the CEO and Co-founder of Array Health, a provider of private insurance exchange technology that simplifies the process of buying health insurance with e-commerce platform. Provider-sponsored plans (PSPs) are a disruptive force in today’s evolving healthcare market. By combining healthcare financing and care delivery with strong, familiar brands in the local community, PSPs are able to break the traditional constraints of the fee-for-service model and deliver
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DPHO, UnitedHealthcare Launch Accountable Care Program
DeKalb Physician Hospital Organization (DPHO) and UnitedHealthcare have launched an accountable care program to improve people’s health and their satisfaction with their healthcare experience.Through this collaboration, UnitedHealthcare and DPHO will work together to better coordinate patients’ care, using shared technology, timely data and information about emergency room visits and hospital admissions. This partnership will also provide services to help patients manage their chronic health
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NHS Trust, Ideagen Launch Clinical Portal to Improve Patient Management
Healthcare software developer, Ideagen, is working with a leading NHS Trust to launch an innovative clinical portal designed to improve levels of patient care. Kent-based Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust has launched Ideagen Clinical Portal, which enhances patient information management and streamline internal IT systems use across the Trust.Ideagen Clinical Portal is a web-based and complete electronic health portal which provides secure access to a unified view of a patient’s clinical
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Study: Emergency Medicine Tops Most Complex Physician Schedules
New research on physician shift scheduling trends shows that emergency medicine departments in the U.S. balance the most complex sets of staffing rules and monthly requests of any specialty in the medical sector. The report, 2016 Physician Scheduling Complexity by Specialty, analyzed rules and requests used in 5,547 department schedules across 57 medical specialties.Physician schedules in emergency medicine departments apply an average of 62 repeating scheduling rules (i.e., physicians can’t
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Humana, John Muir Partner to Offer Value-Based Care to Medicare Advantage Members
John Muir and Humana has teamed up to bring value-based care for Humana Medicare Advantage members in Contra Costa County. The partnership will offer a more proactive and wellness-focused health care experience for Humana’s Medicare Advantage members.Partnership DetailsAs part of the agreement, John Muir Health and Humana will develop strategies to improve the health of Humana’s Medicare Advantage members in Contra Costa County, lower costs, and manage the ongoing health needs of the
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Why Your Patient Portal Strategy Should Embrace Both Consumers & Patients
Patient engagement is easy, right? Just create a portal and tell patients it’s there.Of course, no one who puts a little thought into this idea believes it can be so simple. Healthcare isn’t “Field of Dreams,” after all. We can build it. They still might not come.But we still need to try and understand why, as this 2014 Health Affairs study found, the increased use of EHR technology has not created a parallel increase in electronic communication among patients and clinicians. In short, if
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