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Medicare Advantage tops traditional Medicare on diabetes
Medicare Advantage patients fare better on diabetes outcomes than their counterparts in traditional fee-for-service Medicare, according to new findings from Avalere Health and the Better Medicare Alliance.
Medicaid expansion resulted in decreased postpartum hospitalizations
Medicaid expansion appears to be a boon to the Biden administration’s push to improve maternal health, with a 17% decline in postpartum hospitalizations in states that elected to expand the federal program.
Medicare inpatient spending highly concentrated, finds Commonwealth Fund
As a result of the trend toward more consolidation in healthcare, Medicare inpatient spending was highly concentrated among just two health systems in most regions, according to a new analysis from the Commonwealth Fund.
To understand where Medicare be…
CMS awards new Medicare-funded residency slots to hospitals in underserved communities
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has awarded the first 200 of 1,000 Medicare-funded physician residency slots meant to support the healthcare workforce and fund additional positions in hospitals serving underserved communities.
About thr…
BCBS companies form collective to tackle medication affordability
A group of Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated companies have founded a new medication contracting organization called Synergie Medication Collective, which is designed to serve both Blues and select independent health plans.
Synergie is focused on impro…
Optum, Northern Light form strategic partnership
Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, has partnered with Northern Light Health to manage revenue cycle management, information systems, inpatient care management, analytics, project management office and supply chain for the Maine health system.
Perceived cost a barrier to health insurance coverage
Of all of the factors that determine whether a person chooses to obtain health insurance, the single biggest factor is cost, according to a new survey commissioned by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida.
California awards Medi-Cal contracts to five insurers
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has joined with five commercial managed care plans (MCPs) in an agreement to deliver Medi-Cal services to Medi-Cal managed care members in 21 counties across the state starting in January 2024.
T…
ATA applauds telehealth provisions in omnibus bill; Amazon moves closer to One Medical acquisition
Congress has passed an omnibus appropriations bill. How does this affect telehealth? We’ll start the year off right by answering that and other questions in this week’s Top Stories, such as: How close is Amazon to sealing the One Medical deal? And is t…
OIG suggests CMS should help drugmakers calculate Medicare Part B drug prices
In the midst of physician concerns that Part B drug reimbursements are too low, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) is suggesting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guide drugmakers in calculating …
