Author's posts
Elliott Management drops bid for Athenahealth, tanking the health tech company’s stock
Athenahealth’s share price plummeted Tuesday morning after reports indicated that Elliott Management was backing away from its bid for the company. Elliott’s Paul Singer was considering a $160-a-share bid.
Health IT Roundup—Minnesota hospital filmed patients without consent; Are providers ready for the death of faxes?
CMS wants to kill the fax machines, but providers and IT staff might not be ready; Fairview Southdale Hospital in Minnesota was found filming patients without their knowledge or consent; plus more health IT news of note.
Court tosses NorthBay’s antitrust suit against Kaiser once and for all
For the third time in less than a year, a district court dismissed antitrust complaints brought against Kaiser Permanente. And the court sent a strong message to the plaintiffs that they need to revise their strategy.
AHIP, state AGs urge appeals court to rehear risk-corridor payment case
Several parties—including AHIP, attorneys general from 18 states and major insurers—are urging a petition court to revisit its decision regarding $12 billion in risk-corridor payments. Although the appeals court already weighed in, saying the federal g…
Blockchain in healthcare: 3 promising use cases in a sea of skepticism
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The recent Blockchain Health Summit brought arcane blockchain engineers, hopeful healthcare CEOs and a heady dose of hype to the nation’s capital. But a few promising healthcare use cases did emerge, alongside some not-so-promising one…
The big 8 insurers made $16.6B in the first half of 2018. Here’s how they stack up
The first half of 2018 is in the books for insurers, and the field looks substantially different from last year. Most notably, Aetna’s net income jumped over 100%, Humana took a large hit from last year’s earnings and Molina made a small but notable co…
Payer Roundup—DOE breaks rule with healthcare tweet; Harvard Pilgrim, MyHealthMath announce partnership
The Department of Energy violated its purpose statute by promoting an anti-Obamacare editorial, according to the GAO. And Harvard Pilgrim Health Care announces a new partnership with MyHealthMath. Plus, more payer news to start your week.
Worried about ‘defensive medicine’ in telehealth? Go on the offensive
WASHINGTON—As telemedicine creeps toward reality for more consumers, some payers are spooked by the possibility of extraneous tests or procedures ordered by cautious doctors. But telehealth offers plenty of ways to save money too.
Worried about ‘defensive medicine’ in telehealth? Go on the offensive
WASHINGTON—As telemedicine creeps toward reality for more consumers, some payers are spooked by the possibility of extraneous tests or procedures ordered by cautious doctors. But telehealth offers plenty of ways to save money too.
Kaiser leads insurers in customer experience for 4th straight year as Health Net plummets
A survey conducted by Forrester found Kaiser leading the pack of insurers in customer experience, followed by Humana and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield. Meanwhile, Centene’s Health Net received poor marks because “many customers seem both confused and f…
