In Florida, where Black residents are three times more likely to be hospitalized or die from asthma-related complications than white residents, one researcher’s efforts to “strip away the jargon” related to asthma treatment strengthened patients’ engagement in a year-long clinical trial. The impact: development of an asthma regimen to help combat disparities in asthma management and outcomes. The results are one example of the gains that can be made in addressing health inequities—differences
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CMS| News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Innovaccer Joins the CARIN Alliance to Advance Interoperability
What You Should Know: - Today, Innovaccer Inc., the Health Cloud company, announced that it has joined the CARIN Alliance (CARIN), a multisector collaborative working to rapidly advance the consumer-directed exchange of health information to improve the interoperability of healthcare data. - Innovaccer will participate as a member of the multisector alliance to advance healthcare data sharing, enabling consumers, patients, and caregivers easier access to health
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What Hospital Success Looks Like Under Value-Based Care
Hospitals are increasingly turning to value-based care initiatives to transform care delivery, lower the total cost of care, and improve patient outcomes. Unlike traditional fee-for-service (FFS) models that reimburse providers based on volume (i.e., the number of patient visits), providers are reimbursed based on the quality of care delivered in value-based care. Ultimately, success under these reimbursement models hinges upon seamless coordination between all stakeholders across the continuum
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Breaking Down the Implications of New No Surprises Act Regulations
The importance of the No Surprises Act (NSA) cannot be overstated, as surprise medical bills have long been burdensome for patients in the U.S. healthcare system. In fact, more than half of all U.S. consumers have received an unexpectedly large medical bills. The purpose of the No Surprises Act is to prevent surprise out-of-network bills, often for emergency services. For example, if your appendix bursts while at work, you would be rushed to the nearest hospital for an emergency
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The No Surprises Act: How Payers Can Stay Compliant
As the healthcare system continues to evolve to adopt a more patient-centric approach, surprise billing has become a topic discussed by consumers and policymakers. Surprise billing can occur when a patient unknowingly receives care from providers that are outside their network. This can result in balance billing, the practice of billing a patient the difference between what their health plan covers and what the provider charges. Unfortunately, these bills are often the result of care provided in
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Is It Finally Time for Hospital-at-Home or is Time Up?
All the signs point to a bright and expansive future for hospital-at-home programs, which have been growing steadily since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) created the Acute Hospital at Home waiver program in November 2020. As of March, nearly 100 health systems and more than 200 hospitals in 34 states had been approved for the program. Meanwhile, Forrester predicts the number of hospitals delivering acute care at home will triple in 2022. The reasons why are compelling: a study
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How Patient Movement Benefits from Standardized Acuity Scoring
Nurses and providers typically assess patient acuity and volume at the beginning of their shift, whether formally or informally. Managers use patient acuity to balance nursing assignments, and nursing staff uses it to determine which patient care action should be prioritized next. Taking a standardized approach to acuity assessments not only provides more objectivity, but also gives hospitals the data they need to make a variety of tactical and strategic decisions, from daily unit staffing to
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3 Senior Living Providers Merge to Form Curana Health
What You Should Know: - Three leading organizations that provide healthcare services to senior living communities – Elite Patient Care, Provider Health Services, and AllyAlign Health – have joined forces to form Curana Health. Curana Health’s mission is to improve the health, happiness, and dignity of senior living residents. The Curana Health ACO is a value-based care program for original Medicare beneficiaries. - The combined Curana Health organization spans 26 states and over 1000+
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CareCloud Adds Chronic Care Management Service to its Digital Health Portfolio
What You Should Know: - CareCloud, Inc., a healthcare technology solutions provider for medical practices and health systems nationwide, has announced its new offering, CareCloud Wellness for chronic care management as part of its growing suite of digital health solutions that help providers enhance patient care and revenue streams. - CareCloud Wellness gives practices the means to easily participate in the government’s
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What the New CMS Staff Turnover Data Means for Nursing Homes
To make it easier for families and caregivers to evaluate the quality of nursing homes, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regularly publishes data on its “Care Compare” website. Anyone can go to the site and search for a facility to find COVID updates, quarterly quality scores, and information on inspections, penalties, ownership, and more. Last month, CMS added additional metrics to how it scores the quality of nursing homes. The information is now available
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