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New deal for north Louisiana safety-net hospitals worked out
Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration has made a deal to transfer oversight of the state-owned safety-net hospitals in north Louisiana to a new manager, with boosted costs and more direct involvement from Louisiana State University.
Calif. Assembly passes bill to cap dialysis reimbursement
California’s State Assembly dealt dialysis giants DaVita and Fresenius a setback by passing an insurer-backed bill to crack down on third-party premium assistance advances. The legislation now heads to the Senate, where it’s expected to pass.
Editorial: With food insecurity a growing problem, SNAP is vital to public health efforts
By insisting on even stricter work requirements for SNAP benefits, House Republicans are standing in the way of a basic public health program.
CMS to implement indication-based drug coverage for Medicare Part D plans
Starting in 2020, Medicare Part D plans can tweak their formularies so that different drugs can be covered for a defined set of indications, the CMS said. The agency said that could help the plans negotiate lower prices.
Could patient input improve hospital ratings’ accuracy?
RAND Corp. researchers suggested that hospital rating sites could be improved by allowing consumers to adjust the weight of quality measures used. But healthcare consumer analysts still don’t think it can solve fundamental issues with the sites.
California seeks to ban Medicaid work requirements
California wants to become the first state to prohibit its health department from imposing a Medicaid work requirement or other conservative policies favored by the Trump administration.
Not-for-profit hospitals’ cost-cutting isn’t keeping up with revenue decline
Not-for-profit hospitals have begun to rein in labor and supply expenses, but revenue is declining at a quicker pace and has created a widening, unsustainable chasm, according to Moody’s Investors Service.
Hospitals give CMS their Stark law wish list
The CMS has received more than 300 suggestions on how it can reduce the burden of anti-kickback laws on providers, ranging from revising what is considered a referral to giving providers protection for unintentional violations.
Senate opioid package lets providers share records, punts IMD bill
The Senate opioid package includes a provision to roll back the ban on providers sharing addiction treatment records, but the lawmakers will punt the so-called IMD exclusion until they confer with their House peers.
Mississippi hospitals and owner seek bankruptcy, to be sold
Knoxville, Tenn.-based Curae Health filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, citing declining revenue and higher-than-expected costs for electronic health records. It will keep operating three Mississippi hospitals until it can sell them.
