Reimbursement

Physicians' concern is that the new payment system will put doctors in solo or small practices at high risk of incurring payment penalties and will push thousands into larger practices and alternative payment organizations.

Any premium increases would be offset by comparative shopping and tax credits, says Department Health and Human Services.

Lawmakers are imploring Mylan Pharmaceutical, the manufacturer of EpiPens, to scale back price increases that have seen the cost of the life-saving emergency allergy treatment swell from $100 to $600 per package, according to published reports.

Employees are paying more for out-of-network care, ER visits while employers pay less, survey says.

Top among them was NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, which received $16 million.

In total, 2,022 hospitals shared in the government payout, which settled 346,000 claims for reimbursement for treating Medicare patients admitted on or before Oct. 1, 2013.

Criminally indicted or convicted providers and physicians filed an estimated $600 million in liens against injured employees' claims for workers' compensation benefits between 2011 and 2015, according to the California Department of Industrial Relations and its Division of Workers' Compensation.

Alaska, Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wyoming, will have only one carrier per rating region in every region in the state, the Avalere study said.

The federal agency is considering fines and other sanctions for providers who engage in this.

Bundles would cover a screening mammogram and other later diagnostic breast imaging services.