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Mortality rates dip 33% after NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn merger
In-hospital mortality rates dropped by 33% at a hospital serving one of the highest Medicaid populations in the country after its 2016 merger with NYU Langone Health, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open.
Humana halves 2022 Medicare Advantage enrollment outlook
Major health insurer Humana is drastically reducing its Medicare Advantage enrollment estimates for 2022 due to a large number of terminations during the last enrollment period, revealing in a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that…
CMS proposed rule seeks to lower Medicare Part D prescription drug costs
In a move intended to lower out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule Thursday updating the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs, tasking the former with be…
AMA calls CDC’s new quarantine guidelines confusing and counterproductive
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently made revisions to federal COVID-19 quarantine and isolation guidance, and those revisions have drawn criticism from the American Medical Association, which said this week that the new guidanc…
Centene completes acquisition of Magellan Health
Centene Corporation has announced that it has completed its acquisition of Magellan Health, thereby enabling the health insurer to provide whole-health, integrated healthcare solutions, the company said this week.
The stated goal and expectation is tha…
Medicare Part B spent $1.5B on COVID-19 tests in 2020
Medicare Part B spending on laboratory tests ticked up to $8 billion in 2020, driven largely by new COVID-19 diagnostics reimbursements, even while spending on other types of tests declined, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of …
New Medicaid option promotes enhanced mental health, says HHS
The Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has unveiled a new option for supporting community-based mobile crisis intervention services for those with Medicaid. Authorized under the American Res…
Saint Vincent Hospital nurses end longest strike in Massachusetts history
Nurses at Worcester, Massachusetts-based Saint Vincent Hospital ratified a new contract Monday ending the longest strike in Massachusetts history at 301 days, which clears the path for the hospital to begin recalling nurses to provide care to patients …
HHS: Protections against surprise medical bills implemented at dawn of new year
As 2022 gets underway, new federal protections against surprise medical bills have gone into effect, which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has said will shield consumers from bills from out-of-network providers, facilities and ambulanc…
FDA expands use of Pfizer vaccine, green-lights boosters for children 12-15
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has officially authorized Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 booster shots for children 12-to-15-years old, the agency revealed on Monday.
