Author's posts
Electronic prior authorizations reduce burden, time spent, finds AHIP and RTI
Handling prior authorization requests electronically as opposed to manually can reduce the median time between submitting a PA request and receiving a decision — clocking in at around three times faster for a time reduction of about 69%, according to …
AHIP, others applaud House bill focused on audio-only telehealth for Medicare Advantage
America’s Health Insurance Plans has praised the introduction of a bill that would improve access to audio-only telehealth for seniors in Medicare Advantage. The bill, which was originally introduced in July 2020, was revived by the U.S. House of Repre…
NAACOS asks HHS Secretary Becerra to grow Medicare ACO programs
The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) sent a letter on Monday congratulating Xavier Becerra, secretary of the D
Cleveland Clinic teams with Lilly and Anthem on heart surgery option for Lilly health plan
Cleveland Clinics boasts expertise in cardiac surgery, and now that expertise is available to eligible Eli Lilly and Company employees, retirees and their family members through the Cleveland Clinic Cardiac Concierge Program.
The new program is in col…
UnitedHealthcare rolls out virtual option to help patients remotely access hearing care
UnitedHealthcare Hearing has introduced a new virtual care offering that’s meant to expand access to custom-programmed hearing aids while reducing the need for in-person appointments for fittings and adjustments. This option is available for those enro…
AstraZeneca vaccine shows 79% efficacy in phase III trial
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has just undergone a phase III trial in the U.S., demonstrating 79% efficacy at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 11% efficacy at preventing severe disease and hospitalization.
FCC issues guidelines for new round of a $250 million COVID-19 telehealth program
Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a proposal this week that, if adopted, would establish round 2 of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, a $249.95 million dollar federal initiative that builds on the $200 mi…
AHA signals opposition to Optum, UnitedHealthGroup’s acquisition of Change Healthcare
Optum and Change Healthcare announced in January their intent to merge, uniting two of the nation’s largest technology and service companies, but the move has now received pushback from the American Hospital Association, which said the proposed deal ra…
Medicare for All push resurrected by U.S. House of Representatives
When Joe Biden became the Democratic Presidential nominee last year, it was assumed that talk of Medicare for All was effectively dead. The concept, popularized by Vermont Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, would have created a g…
Amazon Care’s nationwide telehealth expansion ‘may be bigger than the sum of the parts,’ says firm
Amazon signaled its intention this week to expand its Amazon Care app-based telehealth services to its employees and to other companies across the U.S. — services that, to date, have only been available to the retail giant’s Washington-based workforce…
