Reimbursement

While many private payers across the country have rushed to launch payment initiatives wrapped around healthcare delivery models like ACOs and patient-centered medical homes, Washington-based Premera Blue Cross has found success via its unique payment model it calls Global Outcomes Contracting.

More Americans are hoping that the Supreme Court will spike the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) today than did prior to the oral arguments -- but only by a couple percentage points.

One of the government's goals is to align its priorities with the private sector, including the development of accountable care organizations, said Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in a keynote address Thursday at the Third National ACO Summit in Washington, D.C.

UnitedHealthcare announced this week the launch of myHealthcare Cost Estimator, an online tool that allows its members to search for quality healthcare providers while also providing them with a cost estimate for more than 100 different procedures.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced yesterday 45 commercial, state and federal insurers who will participate in the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative, an effort to improve public health via an emphasis on primary care.

A panel of experts gathered at the 2nd International Summit on the Future of Health Privacy in Washington, DC on Wednesday all seemed to agree that the stakes are high when it comes to electronic medical records and privacy.

Last week, a number of major national hospital organizations, such as the American Hospital Association (AHA), lent their support to the recently updated Statement of Principles and Guidelines on practices that hospitals should follow in regards to billing and collection, which incorporate patient-friendly billing practices.

Value-based purchasing (VBP) is gaining favor over the conventional fee-for-service model with many healthcare leaders, according to a Forbes Insight study released Tuesday.

Exclusive of the health reform law, a majority of states have established delivery system qualifications and payment policies to promote Medicaid's medical homes program.

To date, 32 organizations across the country are participating in the Pioneer ACO initiative, hoping to inspire others in their regions to follow suit. As the benefits of adopting this model become clear, more organizations are looking to explore the possibility of becoming an ACO.