Medicare spending on physician services decreased by $9.4 billion, or 19 percent, in the first half of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new analysis from the American Medical Association (AMA). The analysis of Medicare Physician Fee Schedule claims from January to June last year found that Medicare spending dropped by as much […]
This new law is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2022. In the closing days of 2020, Congress enacted and the President signed into law the “No Surprises Act.” But what does that mean for providers and patients exactly? The Act contains key protections to hold consumers harmless from the cost of unanticipated […]
Typical CDI programs are intended to drive reimbursement through diagnosis securement, contributing to improved case mix index. The COVID-19 pandemic is placing monumental financial stressors upon hospitals, with added costs to treat patients with high acuity and long length of stays, coupled with significant revenue loss associated with postponement of more profitable elective surgeries, […]
Telehealth, remote monitoring will boost patient outcomes and value-based care results Limited by the slow pace of change in traditional reimbursement models, shifts in the paradigm for patient care have also lagged far behind the possibilities created by transformative technology. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed that, catalyzing improvements in reimbursement by both commercial and government […]
Many healthcare organizations quickly adopted telehealth programs out of necessity at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding their attack surface with the integration of new technology such as mobile telehealth apps and wearable heart rate and blood glucose level monitors. What’s more, nearly half of security researchers (48%) believe the healthcare industry is […]
Medicaid physician reimbursement rates in the fee-for-service part of the program were about 72% of Medicare rates for the same service, a new study finds. Medicaid physician reimbursement is significantly lower than commercial payer and even Medicare payments for the same services despite growing enrollment in the public healthcare program, reveals a new Urban Institute study. […]
With all that has happened over the past year, from the coronavirus pandemic to ongoing social justice movements, healthcare workers and organizations are standing in solidarity with their communities like never before. While these corresponding pandemics emphasize the need for healthcare organizations to empower the communities they serve, they also highlight the necessity to […]
By April of last year, seemingly every news station in American was featuring the heroic efforts of physicians, nurses, and other clinicians fighting COVID-19. These providers transformed healthcare, implementing telehealth and virtual care, standing up new wards in hotels, sports arenas, and schools, and finding new ways to stretch precious supplies. But behind those transformations […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed the healthcare business model, causing providers to rely more on scale and efficiency to maintain financial stability in 2021 and beyond. At least those are the strategies industry leaders at Providence and UW Health are implementing to adapt to a more virtual, leaner environment as the pandemic continues, health […]
Our healthcare system has seen an unprecedented rise in the use of telemedicine since the onset of COVID-19. Doctors are now doing between 50 to 175 times telehealth appointments than they did prior to the pandemic, according to a recent study by McKinsey. Considering how reliant we’ve become on virtual visits as a clinical tool, […]