With 2017 almost in the rear-view mirror, it is time to look forward to 2018 and how healthcare will evolve in this year. The last year has been an eventful one for healthcare, from the uproar in healthcare regulations to potential mega-mergers. Needless to say, it’s a time of transition, and healthcare is in a very fluid state- evolving and expanding. There are certainly going to be new ways to keep healthcare providers and health IT pros stay engaged and excited, and here are our top 10
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Healthcare Policy Regulation & Reform | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Survey: Medicare ACOs in Premier Population Health Collaborative Outperform Peers by 57%
Since 2012, Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) that participate in the Premier Inc. Population Health Management Collaborative (PHMC) have outperformed their peers in achieving cost and quality improvements. Nearly half of PHMC Medicare ACO participants received shared savings payments in performance year 2016 compared to 33 percent of all Medicare ACOs. In addition, since 2012 PHMC Medicare ACOs have performed 57 percent better on average in achieving shared savings.Premiere
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12 Defining Healthcare Trends to Watch in 2018
PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI) outlines 12 defining healthcare trends to watch in 2018 that will be distinguished by persistent uncertainty and risk. 2018 will be distinguished by persistent uncertainty and risk for the US health industry. 2018 is likely to mirror 2017 - a year marked by raucous debates over health and tax reform and a series of crises triggered by natural disasters - in terms of volatility, according to the latest research from PwC's Health Research Institute
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Stitch Health Launches Care Coordination Platform for Healthcare Teams
Today Stitch Health, which aims to make it easy for healthcare teams to provide incredible patient experiences, unveiled their new care coordination platform for providers to work better together. The company's HIPAA-compliant, cross-platform (desktop, iOS, and Android), searchable by a patient, and integrates with existing electronic health records (EHRs). The platform offers tools for three categories of healthcare work: team communication, patient engagement, and patient management.Stitch
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SymphonyCare Acquires Empower Patient Portal Business Unit from Influence Health
SymphonyCare, a population health and patient engagement solutions company has acquired the Empower patient portal business unit from Birmingham, AL-based Influence Health. The acquisition was led by SymphonyAlpha Ventures, the venture capital arm of Symphony Corporation, a leader in digital healthcare innovation and technology solutions. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.The Empower patient engagement product alone currently reaches more than a half a million patients
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Population Health Management Means the Whole Population, Not Just the Highest Need
Considerable attention has been given to the large proportion of healthcare spending concentrated among a small proportion of patients. This five to 10 percent of the population has been the driving force behind many value-based purchasing models, e.g., chronic health condition management for the high cost, high utilizers, and health home models for care coordination and management services. A recent thought piece (March, 2017) in the The New England Journal of Medicine, “Focusing on
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3 Roadblocks to Achieving Interoperability In A Value-based Care System
I am sure I am not the only one who has lost count of the times I’ve been asked “Why can’t the systems talk to each other?” or, in more technical terms, “Why don’t we have interoperability?”The numerous health IT solutions that we have around us today were meant to improve not just the delivery of care, but also enhance patient outcomes as the care continues across multiple practices. At the most basic level, I suppose we can define interoperability as two or more systems communicating with each
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Einstein, Humana Enter Value-based Care Agreement to Offer Better Patient Experience
Einstein Healthcare Network and Humana Inc. have entered into a value-based agreement designed to offer a coordinated, patient-centered experience to help Humana Medicare Advantage members achieve their best health. The value-based care agreement, in turn, teams Humana with Einstein Healthcare Network’s Accountable Care Organization, Einstein Care Partners, toward enhancing both the patient experience and patient outcomes in the Philadelphia area.Einstein Healthcare Network is a leading
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Study: More Than 40 States Have Invested In Value-Based Payment Models
A recent national study of state government programs finds more than 40 states strategically invested in value-based payment models, 23 with targets or mandates, and just 7 states trailing the trend. The study commissioned by Change Healthcare reveals 23 states have value-based targets or mandates that payers and providers agreed to achieve, 17 have or are considering adoption of ACOs or ACO-like entities, and 12 have or are considering episodes of care programs. Just 7 states have little to no
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MACRA: The Yardstick for Quality that Health Systems Need
The number of quality initiatives is rapidly rising in the healthcare industry as stakeholders shift their focus toward the value of patient care. In addition, with the recent implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), the rules surrounding healthcare reimbursement are being rewritten, incentivizing healthcare providers to prioritize the quality of patient visits over the quantity.Historically, it has been difficult to achieve consensus on defining quality;
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