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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Healthcare Policy Regulation & Reform | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
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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6 Implications for 2017 Medicare Advantage & Medicare Part D Programs
Editor's Note: Kyle Stapp is the Program Director at Eligibility.com where he oversees the educational center inside Eligibility.com and works daily with program applicants to answer their questions. His programs include Medicare, Unemployment and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kyle_stapp or connect with him on LinkedIn.According to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), 32% of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, amounting to 17.1 million people. This
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At The Heart & Soul of MACRA Is Waste
Ms. Jeannie is a 65 years old woman, slightly overweight with mild hypertension that is perfectly controlled. Ms. Jeannie is the office manager at Dr. Abrams, the pediatrician down the hall, who’s been taking care of your kids since you moved here. Ms. Jeannie called earlier because her allergies are killing her today and she’s out of refills for her blood pressure meds anyway. After an uneventful 15 minutes, and a brief chat in the hallway, Ms. Jeannie pays her $15 copay and heads back to work.
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Cigna, Integrated Independent Physicians Network Launch Collaborative Care Program
Cigna and Integrated Independent Physicians Network, LLC have teamed up on a collaborative care program to improve access to health care, enhance care coordination and lower costs. Effective April 1, the program is part of Cigna Collaborative Care, a value-based model that will reach nearly 7,000 customers.Cigna Collaborative Care is helping to improve the health of Cigna customers while effectively managing medical costs. For example, the programs are helping to:- Close gaps in care, such as
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