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Intermountain Health spinoff Culmination Bio announces partnership
Intermountain Health spinoff Culmination Bio has announced a partnership with BillionToOne on oncology diagnostics.
Final rule issues guardrails in compensation to agents and brokers
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is cracking down on compensation to agents and brokers, in a final rule released last week.
Optum’s deal to buy Steward should be scrutinized, senators say
Massachusetts senators are asking the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to scrutinize the proposed sale of Steward Health Care’s physician Group to Optum over concerns of UnitedHealth Group’s market dominance.
Hospitals prepare for total solar eclipse
Health systems and departments of health within the path of totality of today’s total solar eclipse have been preparing for the onslaught of spectators in their cities and towns for the most exciting four minutes in celestial viewing since 1963.
The Un…
Shrinking rural hospital margins aided by COVID-19 relief funds
COVID-19 federal relief funds helped rural hospitals’ financial performance but raises questions going forward about the 48% of these providers that consistently experience negative operating margins, according to a new issue brief released by the Amer…
In two deals, Intermountain’s Saltzer Health finds buyers
Saint Alphonsus Health System has agreed to acquire an ambulatory surgery center and two urgent care centers from Intermountain’s Saltzer Health.
Intermountain announced in January that it would close Saltzer Health in Idaho on March 29 if no buyer was…
CMS finalizes 3.7% payment increase for Medicare Advantage plans
Medicare Advantage plans are getting a 3.7% rate increase for 2025, or over $16 billion, from 2024 to 2025.
CMS proposes 2.6% payment increase for hospices
Hospice providers get a 2.6% increase in 2025 the proposed rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
This represents an estimated increase of $705 million in payments from 2024.
The increase results from the 3% market basket per…
HIMSSCast: Direct contracting streamlines prior authorization
Jaja Okigwe is CEO of First Choice Health, headquartered in Seattle. The company is a benefits administration business that has one of the largest direct-contracted networks in the Upper West with nearly 1 million members in its network.
It’s a provid…
Proposed rule gives skilled nursing facilities a 4.1% increase
Skilled nursing facilities get a 4.1% payment increase for 2025, according to a proposed rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Skilled Nursing Facility
