Category: Healthcare News

Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act

Thinking Strategically About MACRA and MIPS: Will it Be Sink or Swim in 2019?

In Part One of this two-part article exploring the implications of MACRA for healthcare providers, healthcare leaders and health IT experts discuss why it’s critical for clinicians to think strategically, rather than tactically, about MACRA compliance. Numerous industry surveys have highlighted that U.S. physicians, by and large, remain unprepared for managing and executing Medicare Access […]
Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers

The New Medicare Cards: What You Need to Know About Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs)

To protect the privacy of Medicare recipients and prevent fraudulent use of Social Security Numbers (SSN), a new, unique 11-character Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) is replacing the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) for Medicare transactions such as billing, eligibility status, and claim submissions. The MBI does not change Medicare benefits. What’s Behind The Change? The […]
Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage Dual Eligible’s Have Fewer ER Visits Than Those Under FFS

Dual eligible Medicare Advantage beneficiaries had 42.1% less emergency room visits than their fee-for-service counterparts. The cost of care and rate of hospitalizations for dual eligible Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries was considerably lower than dual eligibles under fee-for-service (FFS), according to an Avalere Health study released Tuesday evening. Dual eligible Medicare Advantage (MA) populations averaged healthcare […]
Hospitals, Payers Must be Held Accountable For Surprise Medical Bills

Hospitals, Payers Must be Held Accountable For Surprise Medical Bills

President Donald Trump said it’s time for Congress to pass a law that stops hospitals and insurance companies from hitting patients with surprise medical bills. “We’re going to hold insurance companies and hospitals accountable,” Trump said during a news briefing Thursday. A bipartisan group of senators have been working on a bill addressing the issue, with the plan to […]
Medicare-For-All

Healthcare Remains Primary Concern for Voters, with Strong Support For ‘Medicare-For-All’

Healthcare is a top priority for American voters and there aren’t dramatic differences by ideology, according to a new survey. Key Takeaways Thirty six percent of Americans ranked healthcare as the most important policy issue facing the nation’s future. Seventy two percent of Americans responded that they were satisfied with the healthcare they received while […]
Providers Exempt

Are Providers Exempt From Information Blocking Backlash?

Keen on giving Americans in federally-funded programs more control over their healthcare, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been working closely with past and present administrations to establish regulations governing electronic health information (EHI). On March 4, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published a proposed […]
Robotic Process Automation

Take Your Revenue Cycle To The Next Level With Robotic Process Automation

To remain fiscally viable, hospitals and health systems must ensure reimbursement is collected properly and in a timely fashion. Healthcare’s “perfect storm” — the ever-increasing cost of care paired with the complexity of technology and rising expenses — has intensified this pressure, according to David Millen, vice president of information technology and digital transformation at […]