Jun 22, 2021 | Behavioral, COVID-19
CDC survey data tracking mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic finds that the percentage of US adults with recent symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder are substantially higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unmet mental health needs are greatest among adults aged 18-29 years. Click to read more.
Jun 18, 2021 | Managed Care Friday
13: No not Apollo but the number of facilities Cano Health will add to its Florida footprint through its $600M acquisition of Miami-based University Health Care. Cano operates value-based primary care centers for seniors in Florida, Texas, Nevada, and Puerto Rico. Bundle of Pain: Under a new United Healthcare Medicaid reimbursement policy taking effect in July, using nerve blocks either as a component of anesthesia or a post-operative pain protocol are no longer reimbursed separately as United considers them part of the anesthesia time for surgeries when performed by the same physician or...
Jun 15, 2021 | Medicare, Payers, Physician Fee Schedule, Physicians
Recent developments in primary care include stable Medicare FFS spending, mostly positive FFS reimbursement trends due to E&M reform, and health plan partnerships with primary care practices. Click to read more.
Jun 11, 2021 | Managed Care Friday
$20M: The amount of drug cost savings Blue Shield of CA reported between 2018 and 2020 through its partnership with Gemini Health. This partnership made the Drug-Cost Transparency Service available to healthcare providers in California. This tool allows providers to view patient-specific lower-cost alternative medications and compare prices during appointments. Blue California recently announced it will expand the platform to pharmacists with the goal of encouraging greater collaboration with physicians. A Dozen Specialties: Premera Blue in Washington is introducing its new...
Jun 8, 2021 | Payers, Revenue Cycle
The new administration is likely to reinvigorate healthcare compliance enforcement efforts. A more healthcare focused Democratic administration and the large COVID-related disbursements to providers are likely to combine to emphasize compliance and program integrity in 2021 and 2022. BRG’s compliance and RCM experts share thoughts about key basics of maintaining compliance and tying good compliance practices back to successful revenue cycle management. Click to read more.
Jun 4, 2021 | Managed Care Friday
12: The number of Pennsylvania healthcare organizations that are incorporating tech into member care. UPMC Health Plan has a virtual concierge service that integrates into Alexa and Google Home machines. Members can use the service to ask about coverage, care options and other topics. Geisinger is using biometric technology to check patients in. They have checked in 5,600 patients so far. Nail Biter: Google is planning to release a new tool later this year that will use AI to help identify skin, hair and nail issues. The AI-based tool is not meant to replace a physician’s opinion but to...
Jun 3, 2021 | Physician Fee Schedule, Physicians
Over 2021-2022 physician practices are grappling with three interdependent changes the new fee schedule will bring: evaluation and management (E/M) coding changes that involve relative value unit (RVU) increases and conversion factor decreases to maintain budget neutrality across the entire fee schedule. This report explores the impact, challenges, strategies for physician practices following these changes. Click to read more.
