Category: Health Insurance

The biggest challenge recruiting IT talent? Convincing them tech work in healthcare can be meaningful

Jefferson Health’s Robert Neff

The first health insurance company to master blockchain will ‘rule,’ expert says

Blockchain will eventually connect payers not only to providers, but to pharmacists in an end-to-end transaction from the first encounter to post-op care.

Need Health Insurance? The Deadline Is Dec. 15

Enrollment is lagging compared with last year’s pace. But experts say sign-ups tend to accelerate as the deadline nears, and many people will be automatically re-enrolled, so the final numbers could approach last year’s totals.

Stress from using electronic health records is linked to physician burnout

Common causes of EHR-related stress include too little time for documentation, time spent at home managing records and tricky user interfaces.

ACA enrollment down 11.2 percent, with one week left to go

Of the 3.2 million consumers selecting plans, 75 percent are renewing their coverage.

Billing and payment tech becoming more responsive, survey finds

Sixty-three percent of providers already accept web portal payments and over a quarter now offer text-based payment options.

Hennepin Healthcare uses EHR data to identify patients at risk of homelessness

Hennepin’s Alex Knutson-Smisek says using the electronic health record to pinpoint social determinants was a hard sell but the work that followed was not that complicated.

National healthcare spending growth slowed in 2017, CMS says

One reason is the decrease in spending on prescription drugs, from fewer opioids being dispensed to a drop in treatment for hepatitis C.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Is Health Spending The Next Big Political Issue?

Diabetics dying because they can’t afford insulin. Organ transplant patients undergoing “wallet biopsies” to get on waiting lists. Are out-of-pocket costs going to dominate the health discussion in the next election? Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this as well as new Trump administration rules giving states the ability to make major changes to the Affordable Care Act. Also, lame-duck lawmakers in Wisconsin and Michigan try to cement health changes before Democrats take over.

Want to increase your hospital’s operational efficiency and cohesiveness? Huddle up, says Intermountain Healthcare’s CEO

Marc Harrison said the escalation process, which includes daily huddles with all levels of staff, has provided operational clarity, improved safety.