Tag: Healthcare providers

Health Equity and SDOH: A Payer Perspective / Update

Health Equity and SDOH: A Payer Perspective / Update

As part of its ongoing mission to improve the health of America, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) announced its National Health Equity Strategy in April 2021 to confront the nation’s crisis in racial health disparities. This strategy is intended to change the trajectory of health disparities and reimagine a more equitable health care […]
How Population Health, Risk Stratification Support Value-Based Care

How Population Health, Risk Stratification Support Value-Based Care

To excel in value-based care, providers must lean on strategies for managing population health and skillful risk stratification. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations observed the ramifications of fee-for-service, leading to communication and revenue challenges for both providers and patients. While value-based care is not a novel idea, the pandemic greatly accelerated the adoption of this […]

Humana Expands Medicare Advantage Value-Based Contract in Minnesota

The payer will expand its partnership with Allina Health to cover more members under Medicare Advantage value-based contracts. “This value-based agreement for Humana Medicare Advantage members is an important part of helping our members achieve their best health,” Chuck Dow, vice president and Medicare regional president for Minnesota at Humana. “We’re excited to share with […]
early-warning-hospital-billing-errors-portend-bleakness

Early Warning: Hospital Billing Errors Portend Bleakness

Hospitals across the nation are seeing lower profits, and it’s all because of a sudden tsunami of Medicare and Medicaid provider audits. Whether it be by Recovery Audit Contractor (RACs), Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs), or otherwise, hospital audits are rampant. Billing errors, especially “supposed bundling,” are causing a high rate […]
As Revenue Cycle Management Expands, Automation Is Key

As Revenue Cycle Management Expands, Automation Is Key

  In its simplest form, revenue cycle management is the process healthcare providers use to ask for, track, and collect revenue for services rendered to patients. But as medical billing gets more complex, revenue cycle management is expanding beyond the business office. At Jackson Hospital in Montgomery, Alabama, for example, revenue cycle management also includes […]
No Surprises Act Notice Requirements: The Good and Bad News for Providers

No Surprises Act Notice Requirements: The Good and Bad News for Providers

Surprise billing occurs when patients receive care from out-of-network providers without their knowledge. On July 1, the Biden Administration passed an interim final rule: the first portion of the “Requirements Related to the Surprise Billing Act,” in an attempt to curb excessive costs patients are required to pay in relation to surprise billing. The rule […]
Key Ways Providers Can Prepare for New Surprise Billing Rules

Key Ways Providers Can Prepare for New Surprise Billing Rules

Starting January 1, 2022, healthcare providers will be subject to a new surprise billing law that makes it illegal for providers to bill patients more than in-network cost-sharing for out-of-network services and establishes an arbitration process to resolve unexpected out-of-network charges. The law, the No Surprises Act, was passed in December 2020 as part of […]