Reimbursement

Medicare-covered physician self-referrals for anatomic pathology services -- diagnoses of human tissue -- more than doubled between 2004 and 2010, although new reimbursement policies may be stemming the tide, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

Despite the one-year delay in ICD-10 compliance, many healthcare providers still do not understand the value of the new medical diagnostic codes that will be used beginning Oct. 1, 2014, according to a new survey from eHealth Initiative.

From the financial pangs at the pointy ends of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the frustrations and economic hardships courtesy of health information technology (HIT), a new physician outlook survey reveals the top challenges and concerns of physicians today.

One would think, given the title of the CMS press release, "Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations succeed in improving care, lowering costs," that the first year of the advanced ACO program was an across-the-board roaring success. But upon closer examination, the report card would appear to be rather checkered.

To remain competitive in a value-based care environment, health plans and ACO population managers must have visibility across a wide variety of care delivery settings. And, to effectively provide care for large populations, reduce the cost of that care and appropriately manage the risk associated with those patients, information must be captured from all caregivers, including ancillary providers such as rehabilitation specialists and mental health practitioners.

A year into the Pioneer ACOs program and participating organizations are already showing reductions in costs and improvements in care, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Tuesday.

It's been one year since the inception of the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization Model, an alternative payment model initiative developed by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and already the ACOs have demonstrated marked success in providing better coordinated care to beneficiaries at lower costs.

For many years, members of the skilled nursing community have been voicing concerns about the sector's ability to remain viable in the face of continued reimbursement cuts from the federal government. A new analysis bolsters their argument that SNFs are on shaky ground.

Members of the skilled nursing community have been voicing concerns about the sector's ability to remain viable in the face of continued reimbursement cuts from the federal government. A new analysis bolsters their argument that SNFs are on shaky ground.

Overall U.S. healthcare prices rose slightly from May to June 2013, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.