News
On Oct. 5, the Federal Trade Commission held a daylong workshop to examine the ways pet medications are distributed in the U.S. and how the current practices affect consumer choice and price competition.
Capital raised by healthcare real estate investment trusts (HCREITs) continues to outpace other REIT categories, due primarily to investor interest in medical office buildings and senior housing, according to data released recently by financial and professional services firm Jones Lang LaSalle.
Proposals to allow for the sale of health insurance across state lines have long been touted as one way of effectively lowering the price of health insurance, particularly in states where there is a highly concentrated insurance market. The argument goes that resultant increased competition would encourage a state's existing health plans to lower prices in the face of the new market entrants.
Private health insurance exchanges are sprouting up and established ones want to grow, challenging state-based HIXs and expanding the retail insurance market. Insurers, in anticipation of the expected shifts in the marketplace, are positioning themselves in a big way to take advantage of this trend.
A collaboration between NantHealth and Blue Shield of California announced in early October will see the two organizations develop a clinic-based continuous learning center (CLC) that will leverage supercomputing systems, high-speed, secure-fiber networks and fact-based genomic data systems, which will allow healthcare organizations to provide personalized, evidence-based treatments.
It has been nearly 15 years since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) iced a controversial rule requiring home health agencies (HHAs) to obtain surety bonds, but a new report by the Office of Inspector General has raised the issue again.
In October, a panel of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) experts joined moderator Steve Monroe, managing editor and partner of research and publishing firm, Irving Levin Associates, for a question-and-answer session about buying, selling and valuing SNFs. Here are some of the insider tips and perspectives offered during the 90-minute webcast:
The nation's complex healthcare system is often challenging for those who work in it. For those who don't - patients - a new brand of companies is rising up to help. Patient navigation companies may be patient-centric but they will impact the way the traditional healthcare system does business.
A paradox of American healthcare is that hospitals are sometimes rewarded for doing things badly. Patients who are discharged, for example, shouldn't have to come right back because their conditions get worse when they go home. But if they do come back, hospitals benefit, because they can fill an empty bed and bill for more care.
Instead of admitting certain patients to the hospital, using dedicated observation units in hospitals can often be more efficient, result in shorter lengths-of-stay and lower costs, according to a recent study from Health Affairs.