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MGMA presses CMS on prior authorization reform
The Medical Group Management Association is pressing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reform the prior authorization process for healthcare services, calling it “routinely the most burdensome issue facing medical group practices.”
Proposed Medicare Advantage cuts would increase premiums, decrease growth rate, BMA finds
Insurers expect that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ recent advance notice for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans for the 2024 coverage year will result in a 2.27% cut to plans if finalized, and this could have a negative impact on mem…
Cigna advances rebranding efforts
With a growing portfolio of businesses, major payer Cigna is engaging in a rebranding initiative that will unveil three distinct brands within the company: Cigna Group, Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services.
The new holding company name is The…
White House furthering nursing home ownership transparency efforts
Following up on one of the subjects broached during his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden is directing the Department of Health and Human Services to increase the transparency of nursing home ownership and management, part of a larger bid…
More data on race could improve maternal outcomes, Health Affairs finds
Understanding the disparities faced by various racial and ethnic groups is key to addressing preterm births and low birth rates, which should spur action from payers, providers and lawmakers, finds a recent Health Affairs study.
UnitedHealthcare giving up to $1,000 per member for wearables data
UnitedHealthcare has introduced a new rewards program in which eligible members, including spouses, can use wearable devices to earn up to $1,000 each per year by completing various daily health goals and one-time activities.
One of the ways people can…
Top Stories: 25 charged in alleged nursing diploma scheme; FBI addressing IT outage at Tallahassee Memorial
25 people have been charged in an alleged nursing diploma scheme. What kinds of shenanigans were they purportedly up to? We’ll get to the bottom of that and more in this week’s Top Stories, including the FBI’s work with Tallahassee Memorial to address …
Centene says a ‘lot of work’ is needed to turn around Medicare Advantage star ratings
Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings declined this year, and while that was expected, the poor showing by Centene was somewhat of a surprise, with Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Andrew Asher saying during a recent earnings c…
False Claims Act settlements exceeded $2.2 billion in 2022, DOJ says
Settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act exceeded $2.2 billion in the fiscal year that ended on September 30, more than $1.7 billion of which pertained to matters that involved the healthcare industry – including drug and medical device man…
Senators press telehealth companies on data-sharing practices
A bipartisan group of four U.S. Senators are leaning on three telehealth companies for more information about their data-sharing practices, calling on these companies to protect patients’ sensitive health data.
