A new KLAS report shows that patient financial engagement technology should do more than process payments so providers can boost revenue while improving the patient experience. Early adopters of the technology report that solutions implemented primarily to process payments are “outdated and inaccurate,” resulting in low satisfaction among both patients and providers, revealed the […]
To reduce care variation, SSM and Optum will use clinical technologies, advanced analytic and data-driven insights at the point of care. Certain SSM Health revenue cycle staff and hospital care management will become employees of Optum. They will continue to work in their current locations across Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. WHY THIS MATTERS As […]
On average, Medicare Advantage-prescription drug plans scored 4.37 stars for the 2022 Medicare Advantage Star Ratings. Over nine in ten Medicare Advantage-prescription drug plans (94.26 percent) received a 3.5 star rating or higher on the 2022 Medicare Advantage Star Ratings, with an average star rating of 4.37 stars, CMS announced. In contrast, in 2019 over […]
Medicare Advantage coronavirus-related hospitalizations were lower than fee-for-service Medicare’s rates from January through November 2020, a Better Medicare Alliance report found. ATI Advisory compiled the report on behalf of Better Medicare Alliance using data from the MCBS Fall 2020 Community Supplement Public Use Files and Medicare Claims Data. Overall, Medicare beneficiaries experienced hospitalization for coronavirus […]
Anthem Blue Cross, the country’s second-biggest health insurance company, is behind on billions of dollars in payments owed to hospitals and doctors because of onerous new reimbursement rules, computer problems and mishandled claims, say hospital officials in multiple states. Anthem, like other big insurers, is using the COVID-19 crisis as cover to institute “egregious” policies […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed performance data from providers who participated in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) between 2017 and 2019 and found that some providers experienced MIPS challenges. Under MIPS, CMS monitors provider performance in four different categories: quality, improvement activities, promoting interoperability, and cost. The providers receive scores in each […]
Kaufman Hall predicts hospital operating margins will fall 80% below pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021. Projecting cash flow always has been a challenge, but now that hospitals are operating on extremely tight margins, access to accurate projections is critical. On a related note, research from Market cube and Waystar found that fewer […]
HHS reduced the Medicare appeals backlog by 79 percent during the third quarter of FY 2021, putting the department ahead of schedule to clear the backlog. As of June 30, 2021, the end of the third quarter of FY 2021, HHS had 86,063 pending appeals remaining at the Office of Medicare Hearing and Appeals […]
Health insurance industry consolidation continued to increase, restricting consumers’ options for coverage, an American Medical Association report argued. “As merger rumors involving health insurers swirl, the prospect of future consolidation in the health insurance industry should be more closely scrutinized given the low levels of competition in most health insurance markets,” Gerald E. Harmon, […]
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 […]