News
Healthcare sector merger and acquisition (M&A) activity is expected to increase in 2013 compared to last year, but will likely be smaller-sized deals as health systems continue to consolidate and bulk up to prepare for health reform.
Healthcare organizations have often been criticized for being slow to adapt to changes in the marketplace. A recent accelerator program spearheaded by Independence Blue Cross (IBC), Penn Medicine and DreamIt Ventures hopes to change that by backing 10 innovative healthcare startups. And while none of these startups are likely to revolutionize medicine, they do suggest that there are many entrepreneurs with promising solutions that may reduce the cost of care while maintaining its quality.
Ease of transition to ICD-10 by October 2014 and improved front-end transactions are high on the checklist for providers who are looking for ways to improve their revenue cycle management (RCM) process, according to experts. One way to tackle this is to have a well-rounded technology suite, they say, and vendors are stepping up to fill that role.
Health insurer Priority Health has announced it has contracted with Healthcare Blue Book to publish cost and quality information for more than 300 procedures by facility and physician for its insurance members in Michigan.
For innovators, the experience at the typical industry conference exhibit hall is usually focused on selling their newly designed products and services.
The Medicare Trustees have projected in their annual report that the program's hospital insurance trust fund will remain solvent until 2026, two years later than predicted last year, while Social Security's solvency is estimated to last through 2033.
To keep bottom lines healthy, organizations are turning to a process called lean revenue cycle management. John Gallagher, account manager of Simpler Consulting, helps organizations utilize this efficient form of management, and shares with Healthcare Finance News tips for maximizing the process.
The GAO has concluded that the states across the country setting up health insurance exchanges will be ready for enrollment by the Oct. 1, 2013 deadline. Coverage is set to begin Jan. 1, 2014.
It took six months and a letter to the governor with a picture of their newborn for two Philadelphia graduate students to successfully enroll their son in CHIP -- and even then their premiums were miscalculated, based on a system reporting error that tripled their actual income.
As the country gets ready for the roll out of the major components of the Affordable Care Act, stakeholders can look to Massachusetts, where healthcare reform was enacted seven years ago. The second installment of PwC Health Research Institute's The Massachusetts Experience provides analysis on the effects of rapid insurance coverage expansion on health payers and providers in the state.