April 30-May 4 Policy Watch: How Policymakers Aim to Support Healthcare Innovation
April 26—Senior Trump administration officials are likely to tout their efforts to support innovations in healthcare delivery during presentations next week at a Washington, D.C., health policy event. Some of the areas they still need to address came up in Congress this week.
Online Posting of Charges Among New Medicare Rules Proposals
April 25—Hospitals would be required to post their “standard charges” online by FY19 under Medicare rules proposed this week.
Emergency Department Visits Drop, Nonurgent Use Rises: CDC
April 23—Amid increasing efforts by private and public payers to rein in emergency department (ED) spending, recent federal data showed divergent trends between overall visits and nonurgent visits.
Latest ACO Trends Identified
April 20—Although private accountable care organizations (ACOs) appear to be gaining ground, the Medicare versions are still leading—amid challenges.
April 23-27 Policy Watch: Drug Prices Draw Trump Focus
April 19—President Donald Trump plans his first major speech on drug prices next week, but employer-sponsored plans are not waiting for the federal government to act.
New MA Rules Benefit Provider-Sponsored Plans
April 18—Recently announced Medicare Advantage (MA) rates and rule changes could help sometimes-struggling provider-sponsored plans improve their performance.
Hospital Deals Accelerate in 2018
April 17—Hospital mergers and acquisitions accelerated during the first part of 2018, according to deal-tracking companies.
Hospitals Urge Caution in Federal Transparency Push
April 17—In response to a new Senate price and quality transparency initiative, hospital advocates outlined measures they would support but also urged caution in pursuing new federal requirements.
Confirming Eligibility of ACA Medicaid Enrollees ‘Top Priority’ of Administration
April 13—Amid a recent finding that three states spent more than $1 billion on enrolling ineligible Medicaid beneficiaries, the Trump administration is prioritizing the verification of eligibility among the 11 million who were added to the Medicaid rolls through healthcare reform.
April 16-20 Policy Watch: Meeting Focuses on Advance Care Directives
April 12—Advance care planning (ACP) will be a focus next week as part of National Healthcare Decisions Day. The initiative aims to educate the public and providers about the need for ACP and its eligibility to be billed under Medicare.