In today’s healthcare ecosystem, every health system, hospital and physician is being asked to do more with less. Healthcare providers face increasing pressure to manage revenue, optimize utilization and reduce costs. At the same time, they must also fulfill their primary duties: preventing illness, optimizing care and improving patient outcomes. From clinical decision support systems […]
Outcomes-based models are spreading, but fee-for-service still dominates payment landscape. Is value-based care having a moment? Health care policy experts and institutions have long agreed that fee-for-service (FFS) medicine is wasteful, outmoded and at least partially responsible for the U.S. spending far more than peer nations on health care, but with outcomes that are no […]
Three common myths about the effectiveness of telehealth are exactly that – myths, according to two new studies that examined its use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerns about telehealth have stymied its use nationwide, but those fears are unwarranted, said researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). They examined data for the first […]
Low reimbursement rates, staffing shortages, low patient volumes, and regulatory barriers are some of the root causes of rural hospital closures, the American Hospital Association (AHA) explains in a new report. The report “Rural Hospital Closures Threaten Access: Solutions to Preserve Care in Local Communities” highlights the variety of causes behind rural hospital closures, which […]
The home- and community-based services quality measure set also aims to advance health equity and reduce health disparities for older adults and people with disabilities. CMS has released a quality measure set for home- and community-based services (HCBS), aiming to promote consistent quality measurement and data collection in the Medicaid HCBS program and improve health […]
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 […]
Patient self-service is key for providers to keep pace with the evolution of healthcare consumerism. Catch a flight recently? Odds are, you booked your tickets online. Visited a bank? There’s a good chance you used an ATM. Just think about the last time you went to the grocery store: How long was the self-checkout line? […]
Although health plans aim to promote value-based care with prior authorization requirements, providers and patients may experience negative repercussions from the process. Prior authorization negatively impacted patients and providers alike by leading to care delays for patients and creating administrative burden for physicians, according to a survey from the American Medical Association (AMA). Health plans […]
Telehealth is hot right now among physicians and patients, but what’s its long term outlook? What impact will telehealth have on patient outcomes and physician reimbursement? Telehealth is hot right now among physicians and patients, but what’s its long term outlook? What impact will telehealth have on patient outcomes and physician reimbursement? To learn more […]
Without even putting too much effort into listening to or reading the news, you understand that healthcare costs have steadily risen over the last couple decades, and yet we don’t really have any significant and correlating rise in outcomes to show for it. CMS or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has also noticed […]