Category: Healthcare Finance News

OIG finds ‘significantly reduced’ improper payments to acute care hospitals

An audit of inappropriate Medicare payments to acute care hospitals has found that such improper payments are on the decline: While hospitals logged $39.3 million in improper Medicare Part B payments from 2016 to 2021, that’s a decrease from the $51.6 …

Social factors need to be factored into risk adjustment to advance health equity

Improving health equity requires changes to risk adjustment, physicians said Tuesday.
Current risk adjustment underestimates the total cost of care of patients who have comorbidities and socially complex issues, said physicians who spoke Tuesday during…

Pharmacists ask administration to retain COVID-19 emergency powers

A major pharmacy group has sent a letter to the White House urging the administration to retain COVID-19 emergency provisions under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act for a couple more years.

HHS putting $5 million toward cancer screening access

The Biden administration is putting $5 million toward community health centers in an effort to increase access to cancer screenings and early detection services for underserved populations. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the …

CMS decreases Medicare Part B monthly premium and deductible

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released the 2023 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for fee-for-service Medicare Part A and Part B, and the 2023 Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts.

CDC awards $90 million to tackle infectious disease threats

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced $90 million will be awarded over the next five years to five state public health departments to establish the Pathogen Genomics Centers of Excellence network. 

Moody’s downgrades Envision Healthcare, says bankruptcy possible

Physician staffing company Envision Healthcare is struggling financially, and these struggles are reflected in a Moody’s Investors Service credit rating downgrade, which took into account ongoing labor pressures and a decline in volumes linked to the C…

Feds awarding $1.6 billion in funds to address overdose, addiction crises in communities

In a push to prevent drug overdoses, the federal government is awarding more than $1.6 billion in investments for communities throughout the country addressing the addiction and overdose crisis. The funds are being awarded by the U.S. Department of Hea…

How Sentara Healthcare moved managed Medicaid into the community

Sentara Healthcare advanced its vision to reach vulnerable populations by moving care into the community.
Two months ago, the Norfolk, Virginia-based health system set up two neighborhood clinics – one within an emergency homeless shelter – and also we…

Drug treatment admissions fell sharply for people of color during pandemic

Admissions to drug treatment programs declined by nearly one-quarter during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the cuts steepest among people of color, according to a new RAND Corporation study.