Category: Healthcare Finance News

Telehealth services are often billed at a lower code than office visits

Despite being able to be reimbursed for telehealth services at the higher facility rate for another year, providers are frequently billing for these virtual visits at a lower level-of-service code, Epic Research has found.

Loneliness linked to health issues among older adults

Social isolation and loneliness among seniors has become a prevalent issue, so much so that the Elevance Health Public Policy Institute has issued a white paper showing that this trend can have negative impacts on seniors’ health, such as increasing th…

Dana-Farber and Beth Israel collaborate on cancer care and new hospital

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston have announced plans to collaborate on cancer care and build an independent, free-standing inpatient hospital for adult cancer patients.     

Healthcare organizations increasing IT investments

Technology and IT has emerged as an important strategic priority for healthcare institutions, with a new Bain and Company report showing that providers are increasingly accelerating their spending on IT and software.

California warns hospitals of tougher enforcement action for violating nurse staffing ratios

Hospitals in California are being warned not to violate state law on staffing levels or face fines. New state policy narrows the circumstances under which hospitals can claim “unpredictable circumstances” for violating the mandate.

Burnout growing among PAs; 8% plan to leave

Burnout among doctors and nurses has been well documented in recent years, but physician assistants are also susceptible to this trend, with a National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants survey showing that 30% have at least one sympto…

Report: Insurers should build trust to stand out in Medicare Advantage market

The biggest factors influencing retention in the fast-moving, competitive Medicare Advantage market are trust and the ability to resolve problems or complaints, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Medicare Advantage Study.

Hard-to-use EHRs may result in patient harm

Electronic health records that are difficult to use are also less likely to catch medical errors that could harm patients, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open.

CDC recommends updated COVID-19 vaccines for those 6 months and older

Following approval on Monday by the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
Updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern…

Walgreens announces partnership with Pearl Health for value-based primary care services

Walgreens has made another move into primary care through a partnership with provider enablement company Pearl Health.
The move expands value-based care in collaboration with community-based primary care physicians, Walgreens said.