Tag: Healthcare RCM

value-based-payment-models-associated-with-lower-acute-care-use

Value-Based Payment Models Associated with Lower Acute Care Use

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who received care under value-based payment models, including two-sided risk models, saw lower acute care use than beneficiaries under a fee-for-service model. Medicare Advantage beneficiaries whose primary care organization participated in a value-based payment model saw lower rates of hospitalizations, observation stays, and emergency department visits, according to a study published in […]
medicare-patients-received-54.5m-office-visits-via-telehealth-in-2020

Medicare Patients Received 54.5M Office Visits Via Telehealth in 2020

Office visits represented 48 percent of all telehealth services used in the first year of the pandemic, making it the service most accessed via telehealth, federal data shows. Medicare beneficiaries most often used telehealth for office visits in 2020, receiving 54.5 million virtual office visits in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to […]
ama-urges-congress-to-update-medicare-physician-payment-system

AMA Urges Congress to Update Medicare Physician Payment System

The American Medical Association urged congressional leaders to lift the freeze on Medicare physician payments and provide updates that reflect inflation and practice costs. Following a recent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) report, the American Medical Association (AMA) has asked Congress to update the Medicare physician payment system to include a stable annual payment rate […]
how-ending-the-public-health-emergency-impacts-medicaid-spending

How Ending the Public Health Emergency Impacts Medicaid Spending

States should prepare for fluctuations in Medicaid spending on nonelderly acute care after the declaration ends. The end of the coronavirus public health emergency declaration could lead to a shift in Medicaid spending for state Medicaid programs and federal Medicaid costs, according to a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Urban Institute. States […]
aha-asks-cms-to-waive-medicare-advantage-prior-authorization-during-phe

AHA Asks CMS to Waive Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization During PHE

CMS encouraged Medicare Advantage plans to waive prior authorizations during the public health emergency, but AHA urged the agency to make it a requirement instead of a suggestion. The American Hospital Association (AHA) has asked CMS to work with Congress and require Medicare Advantage plans to waive prior authorization processes during the current and future […]
5-steps-to-make-telehealth-work-for-physicians-and-patients

5 steps to make telehealth work for physicians and patients

  There are barriers to telehealth adoption that physicians must overcome to realize the technology’s promise. Telehealth clearly has crossed a threshold of acceptance and now is viewed by physicians, payers and patients as an essential part of healthcare. It’s no surprise Fortune Business Insights predicts the telehealth market will reach $636.4 billion by 2027. […]
federal-court-strikes-portions

Federal Court Strikes Portions of Regulations Implementing No Surprises Act

  On Wednesday, February 23, 2022, a federal court in Texas struck down five controversial portions of the interim final rule (“Rule”) jointly issued by three federal executive agencies (“Departments”) that implement the independent dispute resolution (“IDR”) process of the No Surprises Act (“NSA”). The portions of the Rule at issue set forth certain parameters […]
national-healthcare-spending-prices-saw-modest-increase-in-2021

National Healthcare Spending, Prices Saw Modest Increase in 2021

National healthcare spending increased by 3.4 percent in 2021, while the Health Care Price Index (HCPI) maintained a year-over-year growth of around 2 percent, according to Altarum’s February 2022 Health Sector Economic Indicators (HSEI) briefs. Unlike the December 2021 and January 2022 briefs, Altarum included federal government expenditures in the February data, which significantly impacted […]