Jeff Lagasse

Author's posts

Top Stories: Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust fund to run dry by 2031

The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund may be running dry. When are federal agencies predicting it will happen? We’ll examine that issue and more in this week’s Top Stories, including digital health companies’ startup efforts, and a Northwell agree…

University of Michigan program looks to reduce clinician burnout

University of Michigan Health has identified that many members of its healthcare workforce are experiencing high levels of burnout, mirroring trends that are occurring among clinicians and healthcare staff around the country. This, said U-M Health, thr…

CMS final rule aims to strengthen Medicare, drug affordability

In a bid to put protections in place for Medicare Advantage, the Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is finalizing a rule it said would strengthen MA and hold health insurance companies to hi…

HHS seeks to curb cancer with national cancer plan

Positioned as a framework for society and the federal government to collaborate on ending cancer, the Department of Health and Human Services released a National Cancer Plan this week, developed by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Can…

CMS releases 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System proposed rule

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 2024.
It also i…

Average ACA benchmark premiums up 3.4%

Average Affordable Care Act benchmark premiums have increased 3.4% for the 2023 coverage year according to a new analysis from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 
It also found that premiums are greatly affected by the number of insurers competing in …

Valley Health System debuting ‘smart rooms’ to improve patient care

Staying in a hospital room is no one’s idea of a good time. But staying in a smart room – as envisioned by Valley Health System – could improve the experience.

Feds predict Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will run dry by 2031

A number of federal agencies – including the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Departments of Health and Human Services and Labor, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Social Security Administration – have determined that the Medicare…

CMS updates 2024 hospice payment rate in proposed rule

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule that would update Medicare hospice payments and the aggregate cap amount for fiscal year 2024 to be more in line with existing statutory and regulatory requirements.

BSBSA pushes for better data collection around race, gender

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), partnering with the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), has released recommendations for improving and standardizing data collection methods around race, ethnicity, and language (REL) and sexual orien…