News

Selecting the "right" collection agency partner is critical for providers, a panel of experts said Monday at the Healthcare Financial Management Association's ANI 2013 conference in Orlando, Fla.

Improving revenue cycle performance at a hospital or health system often requires changes to processes and technology, but also demands a renewed sense of teamwork, said officials at New Jersey’s Atlantic Health System.

Mid-Atlantic region payer CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield will launch in October an intelligent virtual assistant, called "Chloe," to help consumers who get their coverage directly from the payer's website to select the appropriate health plan.

With the remaining provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) going into effect in less than a year, employers are trying to prepare for how the law will impact health plan enrollment and cost.

There's a commonly held perception that healthcare is a process in which doctors take care of patients. But increasingly healthcare stakeholders are figuring out that, at times, a more effective way to help patients get healthy is to show them how to take care of themselves.

Payers wondering about competition under health reform might look to Denver, where underwriting regulations and a fair amount of provider concentration has left the commercial insurance market mostly divided into quarters.

Payers and employers are demonstrating that wellness programs can curb increases in healthcare costs and improve workforce productivity as employees become more involved in their health. Health plans shared their programs and results during a session on Thursday at the 2013 AHIP Institute in Las Vegas.

Disruptive innovation challenges the status quo, drives change and creates new markets. But what does disruptive innovation mean in regard to health benefits and healthcare delivery? A few companies tried to answer that question at the 2013 AHIP Institute Thursday.

Healthcare experts differ on the benefits of provider consolidation to help reduce costs but agree that most healthcare organizations are moving forward with reform through innovation, and consolidation may be just a step in that direction.

U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, has announced plans to step down in July, after nearly four years as the nation's top voice for public health.