MACPAC’s June 2021 report to Congress included findings about non-emergency medical transportation benefits in Medicaid programs that could prove useful for benefits design. A small fraction of the Medicaid population utilizes non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefits, but for that community of beneficiaries NEMT programs can be indispensable, a MACPAC report recently found. It has been […]        
        
    
            The US could see a physician shortage of 37,800 to 124,000 doctors by 2034, including shortfalls in both primary and specialty care, according to the latest numbers from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Primary care will see a shortage of 17,800 to 48,000 physicians between 2019 and 2034, while specialty care is slated […]        
        
    
            The American College of Emergency Physicians said that it “firmly believes that the new policy is in direct violation of the federal Prudent Layperson Standard.” Calling it a “dangerous decision” and a “scare tactic,” the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is condemning UnitedHealthcare’s recent announcement to retroactively deny emergency care claims. “ACEP firmly believes […]        
        
    
            Average claim denial rates are between 6% and 13%, but some hospitals are nearing a “danger zone” after COVID-19, a survey shows. Hospital claim denial rates are at an all-time high, signaling a need for better claims denial management, a recent survey from Harmony Healthcare reveals. The healthcare industry has seen a 20 percent increase […]        
        
    
            Physicians who institute best practices bring in more revenue and profit than those who do not, and this can be the difference between being successful and being out of business. What’s the difference between a highly successful practice and one that just gets by? Oftentimes, it comes down to focusing on a handful of key […]        
        
    
            Despite a fiscally challenging year for the healthcare industry, physician compensation for most specialties has remained the same or has slightly increased, a new report from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) reveals. However, most specialties showed an overall decrease in productivity in 2020. The report utilized data from 185,000 providers spanning over 6,700 organizations, […]        
        
    
              An industry through leader recaps current challenges to traditional reimbursement models for Medical Economics®. 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 […]        
        
    
            Educated guesses and imprecise, stopgap efforts aren’t enough. Revenue cycles need precise strategies to identify exactly where leakage occurs and implement solid processes to stop leakage before it starts. Even before COVID-19, 250-bed hospitals lost $4.7–$11 million a year from mid–revenue cycle leakage. Now, pandemic-fueled volume losses and razor-thin margins mean that hospitals can no […]        
        
    
              2022 Hospice proposed rule would help with addendum statement snags, but other problems remain. In the Hospice proposed rule, published in the April 14 Federal Register, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services outlines these changes to the election statement addendum that was implemented on Oct. 1, 2020. Three vs. Five Days In the […]        
        
    
            ACHP provides several steps that will leverage the advancements of the Affordable Care Act and increase access to high-quality coverage and care. The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) released recommended steps to build on the success of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and enhance and expand coverage in the individual health insurance market. First, […]        
        
    









