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CMS proposes changes to skilled nursing facility prospective payment system
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule that would update Medicare payment policies and rates for skilled nursing facilities under the Skilled Nursing Facility prospective payment system for fiscal year 2022.
MVP Health Care, University of Vermont Health Network to co-create MA plan focused on elder care
Non-profit MVP Health Care, a health plan based in Vermont and New York, and the University of Vermont Health Network are teaming up to launch a joint Medicare Advantage plan, the organizations announced this week.
The entities are currently focused on…
Two vaccination sites close after adverse reactions to Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Americans are getting COVID-19 vaccinations at a steady clip, but national inoculation efforts hit a snag this week as two different vaccination sites, one in North Carolina and one in Colorado, shut down temporarily after an abnormal number of adverse…
Health literacy seen as an important tool in increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake
Healthcare professionals largely see vaccines as a key tool in ending the COVID-19 pandemic, but they will only work to that end if enough Americans become inoculated so as to achieve herd immunity. The vaccines themselves are largely effective. The ch…
More than 500k Americans have enrolled in marketplace coverage during the special enrollment period
More than half a million consumers have already signed up for health insurance through HealthCare.gov as a result of the Biden Administration’s Special Enrollment Period for the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to Department of Health and Hu…
To tackle nurse and staff burnout, healthcare needs to staff efficiently and emphasize employee wellbeing
More efficient staffing and mental health supports for staff will allow health systems to address pandemic-related workforce issues.
CVS Health retains pharmacy services with Service Benefit Plan, adds specialty pharmacy care
CVS Caremark, the pharmacy benefit manager of CVS, is entering into a larger PBM contract with the Government-wide Service Benefit Plan, otherwise known as the Federal Employee Program. CVS Health has been the pharmacy benefit manager for the Service B…
HHS announces reduced costs, expanded access for marketplace health coverage under ARP
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced on Thursday that additional savings and lower healthcare costs are available for consumers on HealthCare.gov due to the American Rescue Plan, which has increased tax credit…
CDC teams with NIH to gauge efficacy of at-home COVID-19 testing
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is teaming with the National Institutes of Health on an initiative to determine if the widespread use of at-home COVID-19 tests is effective at stemming transmission of the virus.
Vaccines and prior COVID-19 infection offer protection against variants
The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned at least three known variants of the coronavirus that cause the disease, but a new
