Category: Healthcare Finance News

New Optum Rx programs meant to support independent and rural pharmacies

New programs and partnerships between Optum Rx and community pharmacies are aimed at expanding care access, preventative services and medication adherence in underserved communities, the pharmacy benefit manager said this week.
Optum Rx is launching in…

AMA and others launch collective call for health equity in Rise to Health

The American Medical Association, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and Race Forward on Tuesday officially launched Rise to Health, a call to action for providers, payers, pharma and professional societies to make health equity a priority.

Healthcare costs exceed $31K for family of four

Healthcare costs for a typical American family of four reached $31,065 this year, according to the new 2023 Milliman Medical Index, which measures healthcare costs for individuals and families receiving coverage from an employer-sponsored preferred pro…

Medicare Part D beneficiaries projected to pay lower out-of-pocket costs

Recent legislation establishing a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap in Medicare Part D has the potential to lower out-of-pocket costs for more than 125,000 Part D beneficiaries who use ultra-expensive drugs and are ineligible for low-income subsidies, according…

Top Stories: CMS seeks to lower Rx drug costs through price transparency

The federal government wants to drive down prescription drug costs. What’s the plan? We’ll answer that and other questions in this week’s Top Stories, including: How is Bright Heath faring? And what are providers doing with Epic software?
For more news…

Physician pay is rising but not keeping pace with inflation, MGMA says

Physician compensation is on the rise but not keeping pace with inflation, according to the Medical Group Management Association’s 34th annual DataDive Provider Compensation report.
Although growth in median total compensation for primary care provider…

FDA: Medical device shortages could worsen

Now that the COVID-19 public health emergency has ended, FDA officials are predicting a possible shortage of medical devices, saying in a new Health Affairs article that the supply chain may be threatened now that there will no longer be mandatory repo…

CVS to lose up to $1B in net income due to MA star ratings

CVS Health projects it will incur up to a $1 billion reduction in net income in 2024 based on the result of the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings. 
Net income will be affected by $800 million to $1 billion, according to Seeking Alpha.

Percent of patients with ‘extreme’ illness on the rise in New Jersey

Data culled from New Jersey hospitals has found a steep rise in the percentage of patients presenting with “major” or “extreme” illnesses, which has put further pressure on already strained workforces in the state’s healthcare institutions. And for onc…

Enrollees largely unaware of Medicaid redetermination process

States kept people continuously enrolled in Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic in exchange for enhanced federal funding, but continuous enrollment ended on March 31, and over the coming months states will redetermine eligibility for enrollees and di…