News
Healthcare employees have a decreased confidence in the U.S. economy as a whole but feel optimistic about their personal employment prospects, according to the recently released Randstad Healthcare Employee Confidence Index.
Medicare- and Medicaid-focused health insurers continue to be the most sought after dance partners of the acquisition ball, as evidenced by yesterday's announcement that Aetna would purchase Coventry Health Care in a cash and stock deal valued at $5.7 billion.
Johnson City, TN-based Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) has been named the recipient of the NQF's 2012 National Quality Healthcare Award. MSHA is the nineteenth organization to receive the honor.
Medicare- and Medicaid-focused health insurers continue to be the darlings of the acquisition ball, as evidenced by yesterday's announcement that Aetna would purchase Coventry Health Care in a cash and stock deal valued at $5.7 billion.
Health insurers are embracing social media, mobile health applications and even games as they position themselves for accountable care and try to encourage their members to take more interest in their wellness, according to a new report from Chilmark Research.
Proponents of lean management argue that whether or not healthcare providers realize it yet, there is a major demand within their organizations for the model because, they will tell you, lean improves patient safety and reimbursement rates, and creates new standards around transparency. But getting healthcare organizations on the lean bandwagon takes leadership.
For-profit healthcare chain, Steward Health Care System, is continuing to expand its reach, this time northward into Maine. On Monday, Mercy Health System of Maine, a nonprofit, Catholic system associated with the Sisters of Mercy and Catholic Health East, announced that it had signed a non-binding letter of intent with Steward, the first step in a possible acquisition.
This week, a Kaiser Health News analysis of Medicare data showed that 2,211 hospitals will face penalties in October for having too many patients readmitted for care within 30 days of discharge. Hospitals in several states react to this impending financial challenge.
In late August, Highmark opened its ninth Highmark Direct retail store in an Erie, Pennsylvania shopping plaza, highlighting a trend that is "about to accelerate dramatically," the consulting firm Oliver Wyman predicts, as more Americans buy health insurance on the open market or in government-mandated exchanges and employer-provided insurance declines.
Employer-sponsored health care is at a crossroads, with myriad financial challenges, legal uncertainties and the result of the 2012 election weighing heavily on company decisions about healthcare benefits, according to a new Deloitte issue brief.