Jeff Lagasse

Author's posts

Report claims 340B hospitals are leveraging discounts to increase profits from cancer drugs

Certain safety net hospitals are charging insurers an average of 3.8 times more than the acquisition costs for oncology drugs, although depending on the drug, the markup can be much higher — up to 11 times the purchase price, a new report has found.

DOJ: Independent Health, DxID allegedly inflated MA reimbursement through unsupported diagnosis codes

Insurer Independent Health and a subsidiary, DxID, are under fire from the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly submitting unsupported diagnosis codes to inflate Medicare Advantage reimbursements.
The alleged violation of the federal False Claims A…

Cityblock Health, Tufts Health Plan offering personalized care to One Care members in Massachusetts

Value-based care provider Cityblock Health, which focuses on Medicaid and lower-income Medicare beneficiaries, has expanded its collaboration with Tufts Health Plan to offer personalized medical, behavioral and social care to Tufts Health Unify members…

Blue Cross NC, UNC Health team on study to improve food security, chronic health

There are numerous issues that can cause food insecurity, ranging from high medical costs to social isolation, and one major insurer has set aside funding for a large-scale clinical study it hopes will help to address food insecurity among its at-risk …

Linking U.S. prescription drug prices to those paid in other nations could cut costs in half

High prescription drug prices have important implications for the American healthcare system, driving up overall costs.

Premier, others urge HHS to move forward on alternative payment models to achieve equity

The organizations recommended HHS build in flexibilities and payment for APM participants to strengthen their focus on addressing inequities.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra releases proposal to lower prescription drug costs

The underlying principles behind the plan, according to HHS, are competition, innovation and transparency.

Shifting common outpatient procedures to ASCs shows cost savings

Hospital outpatient departments perform routine procedures and surgeries such as colonoscopies and cataract removals for commercially insured individuals at substantially higher prices than Ambulatory Surgery Centers, according to new findings publishe…

CMS releases evaluation of Vermont all-payer model, with promising early results

The APM achieved statistically significant Medicare gross spending reductions at both the ACO and state levels.

75% of U.S. adults have now received at least one COVID-19 shot, says CDC

More than 73% of those ages 12 to 18 have received one shot, while 92.4% of those older than 65 have received at least one dose.