Aug. 13-17: Senate to Vote on HHS Funding
Aug. 10—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would receive a small increase and funding for several hospital priorities under a FY19 funding bill that the Senate is expected to vote on next week.
CMS Official: Logistical Limits Restricting New Payment Models
Aug. 8—Medicare has not approved more alternative payment models—despite calls by many hospitals and physicians for more of them—due to limits in time, staff, and funding, a Medicare executive said.
Are Employers Rethinking High-Deductible Plans?
Aug. 7—Employers that provide insurance for their workers are expressing an unusual degree of reluctance about high-deductible health plans (HDHPs).
IPPS Rule Includes Pay Bump, Reporting Simplification
Aug. 6—More than 3,000 hospitals will receive an average increase of nearly 3 percent in their Medicare inpatient payment rates—along with a slew of policy changes—under a recently issued final rule.
In Q2, Hospital M&A Slows, Practice Acquisition Stays Flat
Aug. 3—The merger-and-acquisition (M&A) momentum in health care during the second quarter of the year switched from hospitals to physician practices, according to tracking companies.
Aug. 6-10: As Navigator Deadline Approaches, Individual-Insurance Market Strengthens
Aug. 2—As the Trump administration prepares to accept the latest round of navigator applications this week, the individual health insurance market appears to be strengthening.
Medicare Offers $1 Billion Increase, Policy Changes for Post-Acute Providers
Aug. 1—Post-acute care providers will see more than a $1 billion pay boost for FY19—along with a range of policy changes—as described in annual final rules issued by Medicare this week.
Healthcare Finance Industry Names Leading Innovators
July 30—Providing an indication of where the healthcare finance industry is headed, stakeholders recently selected a patient revenue cycle system and a telemonitoring company as leading innovators.
Members of Congress Identify Ways to Cut Administrative Costs
July 31—Healthcare administrative costs could be cut in half over the next five years through a series of congressional and administrative actions, members of Congress were told this week.
Medicare Proposes $760 Million 2019 Hospital Cut
July 27—A range of major hospital policy changes includes a $760 million cut as part of the 2019 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule.