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How nonprofits help millions tackle their medical debt
December 22, 2022
Associated Press
Nikiesha Barnett had knee surgery in 2006 and took unpaid leave from her job as a Georgia hospital coordinator while she was recovering. When Barnett wasn’t able to keep up with the payments for the surgery, she ended up owing about $4,500.
CMS makes big changes to Medicare Shared Savings Program
November 01, 2022
NONA TEPPER
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will invest in rural and underserved accountable care organizations and introduce more flexibility to the Medicare Shared Savings Program with the aim of kickstarting stalled enrollment and bridging health equity gaps.
YouTube Health expands validation process for health information
October 27, 2022
GABRIEL PERNA
As it attempts to combat health disinformation, YouTube is allowing certain healthcare professionals to apply for verification.
Starting Thursday, licensed healthcare providers such as doctors, nurses and mental health professionals can apply to make their channels eligible for YouTube’s health product features, which labels them as an authoritative source on a medical topic. It also will promote their videos at the top of someone’s search.
Physicians left their jobs by the hundreds of thousands in 2021: report
October 20, 2022
MARI DEVEREAUX
An estimated 333,942 healthcare providers dropped out of the workforce in 2021, many of whom departed due to retirement, burnout and other stressors related to the pandemic, according to new data.
DOJ sues Cigna alleging Medicare Advantage fraud
October 17, 2022
NONA TEPPER
The Justice Department has sued Cigna for allegedly collecting tens of millions of dollars in excess Medicare payments by exaggerating its members’ illnesses.
Humana to spend $550M on private equity clinics
September 16, 2022
NONA TEPPER
Humana will spend up to $550 million to acquire the first set of clinics it built with a private equity firm, Chief Financial Officer Susan Diamond said during a meeting with investors Thursday.
United Health inks Medicare Advantage deal with Walmart
September 07, 2022
LAUREN BERRYMAN
Walmart will provide preventive care services to UnitedHealth Group Medicare Advantage customers under a 10-year deal the companies announced Wednesday.
UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum’s data and analytics tools will guide Walmart Health clinicians to provide value-based care for Medicare beneficiaries, according to the companies. The initiative will begin in January at 15 Walmart Health locations in Florida and Georgia before expanding elsewhere, and the partners project it eventually will serve hundreds of thousands of patients. The companies also will market a co-branded Medicare Advantage plan in Georgia and Walmart Health Virtual Care will be in-network for some UnitedHealthcare commercial members in January.
‘Not so optimistic:’ Surprise billing arbitrations cause frustration
August 30, 2022
MAYA GOLDMAN
The surprise billing arbitration process has gotten off to a rocky start.
Insurers are accusing providers of submitting every possible claim, even when they know some cases are not eligible for mediation. Providers allege insurers are holding up the federal dispute process by delaying submissions of clear and complete information. The recently published final rule on the process from the Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury departments likely will not resolve all these problems.
CMS new quality measure requirements worry some health systems
August 26, 2022
MARI DEVEREAUX
Health systems strapped for resources worry that reporting on new quality measures and transitioning to interoperability as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ final rule will be overly burdensome.
As a result, some hospitals want CMS to offer adequate financial and technological support. For larger systems with deeper resources, the rule doesn’t seem to be a big lift.