The U.S. healthcare system has been undergoing its own stress test. Stakeholders are currently experiencing a variety of pressures with a primary focus on finances, including administrative costs. The COVID-19 pandemic is often used as a convenient delimiter for the emergence of these problems, but in reality, tensions were brewing long before now and were caused by a variety of factors. Medicare Advantage (MA) is facing the headwinds of these issues – and as a result, MA
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Healthcare Policy Regulation & Reform | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Millions of Americans Remain Uninsured or Underinsured Despite ACA Gains
What You Should Know:
- A new report from the Commonwealth Fund reveals that despite significant progress in expanding health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), millions of Americans still lack adequate and affordable healthcare.
- The report highlights the prevalence of coverage gaps, high out-of-pocket costs, and the burden of medical debt, underscoring the need for further policy action to achieve truly universal coverage.
Uninsured and
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Medicaid & Health Equity: Addressing Disparities in Maternal and Mental Health
Recent advancements in healthcare, such as telemedicine, automation, and clinical studies, have propelled the industry forward, unleashing new possibilities for fostering better patient outcomes. While many are lucky enough to reap the rewards of new research and technology, critical communities are being left behind.
The Medicaid population, who typically benefits from progress last, still grapples with harmful biases within the healthcare system that pose extreme barriers to care. A new
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Parakeet Health Launches With $3M for GenAI Voice Platform to Enhance Patient Engagement
What You Should Know:
- Parakeet Health, a generative AI company focused on revolutionizing patient engagement, has announced the launch of its AI-powered voice platform and has secured $3M in seed funding to fuel its growth and development.
- This innovative solution aims to streamline patient communication for healthcare providers, improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing the patient experience.
Addressing a Critical Need
With 90% of patients still
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The Imperative to Stay the Course on Value-Based Transformation
Is value-based care still the right strategy to reduce U.S. healthcare costs? Or is it time to move to what comes next in the generation-long battle to constrain total medical spending?
The question is being increasingly asked and with good reason. For 2024 medical costs are projected to rise 7.0% year over year for Individual and Group markets. That is greater than the medical cost trend in 2022 and 2023, which was 5.5% and 6.0%, respectively, and adds to a decade-plus of at least 5.5% per
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Strategic Cost Management Ensures ACO Viability
For ACOs to remain relevant as leaders of Value-Based payment models, they must step up now to generate more cost savings for Medicare patient care. Budget cuts for Medicare are once again under discussion by conservatives as political pressure mounts to lower governmental spending. Meanwhile, CMS is expanding risk in Medicare value-based payment models, moving quickly away from Fee-for-Service reimbursement. The new ACO PC Flex model is designed to create per-patient reimbursement for
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MEDITECH Launches Nationwide HIE Interoperability Network for U.S.
What You Should Know:
- MEDITECH launches Traverse Exchange, a new nationwide health information exchange (HIE) network designed to facilitate secure and efficient sharing of patient data among healthcare providers.
- Built on the foundation of the successful Traverse Exchange Canada, the new platform enables MEDITECH customers to exchange health information with other MEDITECH organizations and external systems that adhere to interoperability standards.
Transverse Exchange:
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Navigating the Final CMS Medicaid Managed Care Rule (CMS-2439-F)
On April 22, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule, Medicaid Program; Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality. The rule aims to promote consistency and transparency, with an increased focus on improving access, driving quality, and advancing equity for Medicaid beneficiaries. CMS has been moving in this direction for several years, and states managed care organizations, and providers have
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Astrana Health Acquires Collaborative Health Systems to Expand Care Delivery Network
What You Should Know:
- Astrana Health, a leading technology-powered healthcare company acquires Collaborative Health Systems (CHS), a management services organization serving over 129,000 beneficiaries across 17 states.
- The strategic move will significantly expand Astrana’s care delivery capabilities and solidify its position as a key player in the value-based care market.
Expanding Geographic Footprint and Enhancing Care Delivery
CHS brings a strong
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Astrana Health and Elation Health Partner to Build Value-Based ACOs, CINs
What You Should Know:
- Astrana Health (NASDAQ: ASTH), a provider-centric healthcare company, today announced a strategic partnership with Elation Health, a clinical-first technology company specializing in primary care.
- The partnership focuses on supporting independent physicians by providing them with the tools necessary to thrive in value-based care arrangements. Astrana and Elation plan to establish risk-bearing entities, such as accountable care organizations (ACOs) and
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