Category: FierceMarkets

Address regulatory burdens, antikickback laws to lower healthcare costs, experts say

In a healthcare system “designed to obfuscate,” it’s going to take collaboration and a focus on drug prices, administrative burdens and value-based care to lower costs for patients, experts said at a panel hosted by the Alliance for Health Policy last …

Address regulatory burdens, antikickback laws to lower healthcare costs, experts say

In a healthcare system “designed to obfuscate,” it’s going to take collaboration and a focus on drug prices, administrative burdens and value-based care to lower costs for patients, experts said at a panel hosted by the Alliance for Health Policy last …

GAO: 340B hospitals, outside pharmacies need more oversight

The 340B drug discount program is under scrutiny yet again. This time the GAO is calling for additional oversight of the program and its contracted pharmacies with a report that shows nearly half of covered entities didn’t pass drug discounts to low-in…

CMS makes decisions on two states’ Medicaid modification requests

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced decisions on two states’ requests to modify their Medicaid programs this week. Important legal distinctions between the requests may have caused one to be approved and the other denied.

Harvard researcher tells Congress surprise billing ‘ought to be illegal,’ urges federal policy shift

Approximately 1 in 7 patients who visit the emergency department will be stuck with a surprise bill, according to Ashish Jha, M.D., director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. “I think this is an outrage,” he told members of the Senate HELP Commit…

Payer Roundup—BCBS Minnesota gets new CEO; Molina sells subsidiary to DXC Technology

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota has named a new president and CEO, and on Capitol Hill, Democrats continue to push back against the administration’s decision to support a lawsuit that would roll back the Affordable Care Act.

Industry Voices—Curing Alzheimer’s could save America $8T in coming decades

At the tail end of Alzheimer’s awareness month, Kenneth Thorpe discusses what the federal government and private companies are doing to combat the disease and how a cure could save trillions.

Amazon’s acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack spooks retail drugstores

After months of speculation, it finally happened: Amazon jumped headlong into the drug distribution business with its acquisition of PillPack, an online, mail-order pharmacy. The news sent shares of Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid plummeting, even as Walgr…

OIG, GAO say CMS isn’t doing enough to curb Medicaid fraud

A day after CMS announced a new initiative to curb Medicaid fraud, witnesses from OIG and GAO told lawmakers HHS hasn’t acted on longstanding recommendations. They also said supplemental payments and demonstration programs lack the appropriate oversight.

Patient-centered medical home program saves CareFirst $1.2B, pays off for doctors

It’s quite literally paid off for primary care physicians who have participated in CareFirst’s patient-centered medical home model and demonstrated both quality care and cost savings.