Medicare spending on physician services totaled $82.9 billion in 2020, down from $95 billion the year prior, data shows.
Category: Healthcare Finance News
Cleveland hospitals delay surgeries due to COVID-19 spike
Three Cleveland area hospital systems – Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and MetroHealth – will be postponing some surgeries due to a spike of COVID-19 cases in the area, turning the clock back to the height of the pandemic when many facilities p…
HHS appeals block on healthcare worker vaccine mandate
Unhappy about a federal court decision that put the brakes on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ national vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, the Department of Health and Human Services has filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals …
HHS shows 63-fold increase in Medicare telehealth use during the pandemic
Telehealth utilization increased 63-fold during the pandemic, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Behavioral health providers saw the highest telehealth utilization in a 32-fold increase, HHS said.
HIMSSCast: Why a Google vet started a next-gen health insurer
Clover Health’s Andrew Toy on what it will take to innovate health insurance
Insurers are being required to cover at-home COVID-19 tests
Starting next month, health plans will cover at-home tests for the 150 million Americans with private health insurance, President Biden says.
Northwell Health launches patient engagement platform developed by health system incubator
Backed by Northwell Ventures, the Playback Health mobile platform gives patients a replay of their care instructions.
CVS Health partners with Microsoft to advance digital-first strategy
As part of efforts to accelerate a digital-centric strategy, CVS Health is teaming with Microsoft and will be tapping into its cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies, the company announced this week.
HHS seeks comment on efforts to improve organ transplant equity, dialysis care
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is soliciting public feedback on potential changes to rulemaking it’s considering to improve both the organ transplantation system and dialysis ca…
FDA committee narrowly recommends Merck’s antiviral pill to treat COVID-19
The FDA’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee voted 13-10 to recommend that the FDA authorize Merck’s antiviral pill to treat COVID-19.
Safety concerns include a recommendation that the drug not be used during pregnancy.
Many committee members said …
