Reimbursement

A recent survey published in JAMA Internal Medicine has shown that hospital performances on publicly reported conditions may potentially signify overall hospital mortality rates.

 Aetna launched its first accountable care organization for Medicare Advantage patients in 2007, before the Affordable Care Act expanded ACOs and before U.S. healthcare had really conceptualized "patient engagement," the flip side of provider accountability.

The 19-hospital Bon Secours Health System has teamed up with health insurance giant Aetna on a new accountable care agreement that officials say will support some 57,000 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries across five states. 

Some senior citizens may be getting over-vaccinated, according a study by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

While consumers indicated in a recent survey that they like the bundled care model, a new survey on provider attitudes towards bundles finds mixed reviews.

Between 1980 and 2009, healthcare expenditures grew by 7.4 percent, which most economists agree would bankrupt the nation if continued. But a closer look at the statistics reveals that the last 10 years in that period saw only a 5.9 percent increase, and the spending growth from 2009 to 2011 dropped to 3.1 percent.

Insurers will offer consumers more choices for individual health plans than they do now when state-based health insurance exchanges open for enrollment in October, according to an analysis from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The increased competition may also drive down prices.

Two Congressmen are calling for an inspector general investigation of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' durable medical equipment competitive bidding, after reports of contracts awarded to companies not in compliance with program guidelines.

A recent study published in the Medicare & Medicaid Research Review concludes that use of ambulatory EHRs by community providers resulted in both higher and lower Medicaid costs.

A recent study published in the Medicare & Medicaid Research Review concludes that use of ambulatory EHRs by community providers resulted in both higher and lower Medicaid costs.