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Tests show more than half of Americans misused prescription drugs
More than half of Americans tested by Quest Diagnostics in 2017 misused prescription drugs, a statistic that has remained relatively flat and suggests that medication adherence is more difficult as the opioid epidemic swells.
New payment model targets addiction recovery
Intermountain Healthcare, Anthem and other healthcare leaders have launched an alternative payment model intended to provide patients with long-term, comprehensive and integrated care for addiction recovery.
UnitedHealth wins challenge of 2014 Medicare Advantage overpayment rule
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that a 2014 CMS rule violated federal law requiring payments to Medicare Advantage insurers be actuarially equivalent to traditional fee-for-service providers.
Purdue Pharma to pay for overdose-antidote development
Purdue Pharma, a company whose prescription opioid marketing practices are being blamed for sparking the addiction and overdose crisis, says it’s helping to fund an effort to make a lower-cost overdose antidote.
Ambulatory sector fueled August healthcare hiring surge
U.S. healthcare sector job growth nearly doubled from July to August, driven mostly by the ambulatory sector.
Editorial: Payment reform tests positive
New analyses of the major payment reforms begun during the Obama years suggest they do in fact lower healthcare spending. While the savings are small, they provide a strong argument for HHS Secretary Alex Azar to step up the pace of value-based…
Medicare appeals board drops under-the-radar rule changes
A board overseeing Medicare Part A payment decision appeals recently released 90 pages of updated rules, and attorneys warn failing to follow the changes to the letter could end in scrapped appeals worth millions of dollars.
Authorities boost efforts to stem overseas opioid production, distribuition
Authorities are ramping up their efforts to identify fentanyl flooding into the U.S. from China, control the ingredients used to make the deadly synthetic opioid, and prosecute and eliminate the manufacturers.
CDC: Majority of heart-related deaths in 2016 were preventable
The U.S. is losing ground on its efforts to combat heart disease, and federal officials found that more than 80% of heart attacks and strokes in middle-aged Americans are preventable.
Mandatory joint pay model slashes spending in just eight months
The Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement resulted in a drop of spending on seniors in need of joint replacements just eight months after its launch. The expediency of results has surprised federal researchers as it usually takes much longer for…
