Author's posts
NorthShore invests in orthopedics, immediate care
About 20 months after its star-crossed plan to merge with Advocate crashed and burned, the health system in Chicago’s suburbs is betting big on specialization as well as outpatient care.
CMS denies North Carolina’s proposal to pay down docs’ debt
While the CMS approved North Carolina’s waiver to transition to managed care and offer federal funding to address social determinants of health, it rejected a proposal to use federal funds to pay doctors’ debt.
Drug cost concerns feed into docs’ aversion to risk in pay models
Physicians aren’t buying into CMS and private pay models that make them take on downside risk. A key reason? They’re accountable for costs that they can’t control.
Trump signs bipartisan measure to confront opioid crisis
President Donald Trump pledged to put an “extremely big dent” in the scourge of drug addiction in America as he signed legislation intended to help tackle the opioid crisis, the deadliest epidemic of overdoses in the country’s history.
Medicaid expansion on the prairie: Nebraska’s ballot initiative heads to the polls
Four years into Obamacare, the majority of Nebraska voters support Medicaid expansion, a key measure on their midterm ballot. But even pro-expansion hospitals are taking a cautious view of how much it will impact the rural bottom line.
Commentary: To be an employer of choice, you need a diversity and inclusion strategy
A multiyear plan to expand diversity and inclusion is as essential a business priority as implementing financial controls and managing quality improvement. A successful program requires transparency, data and shared accountability.
CMS posts new SNF quality measures on Nursing Home Compare
Five new quality measures have been added to Nursing Home Compare as mandated by the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014.
US approves first new type of flu drug in 2 decades
The FDA’s approval of Xofluza for people age 12 and older comes ahead of the brunt of this winter’s flu season. Xofluza is a pill that can reduce severity and shorten duration of flu symptoms after one just dose.
Emergency docs say Iowa Medicaid change hurts patients, hospitals
Starting Aug. 1, Iowa Medicaid no longer allowed emergency departments to submit claims for treating some conditions that turn out to be non-emergent.
UChicago, Advocate and NorthShore partner on pediatrics
The new clinical collaboration—effective immediately—will enhance education and training for healthcare professionals, and also improve access to care and innovative therapies for young patients.
