Sep 29, 2023 | Managed Care Friday
$226: Women’s average out-of-pocket spend is this much more per year compared to men’s even when excluding maternity services, according to a new Deloitte report. That adds up to $15.4 billion more in out-of-pocket costs across 16 million women with employer-sponsored health insurance. Women use health care more often, with 10% more in total health expenditures relative to men, but out of pocket spend is still 18% higher. This may be due, in part, to the different type of care recommended for women such as gynecological exams and earlier annual checkups. The VBA Effect: CommonSpirit, the...
Sep 29, 2023 | BRG Conference Call Replays
Conference Call | Monday, October 2, 3:00 PM ET John Kelliher will discuss the implications for healthcare programs with a partial government shutdown. The call will end with an open Q&A for all participants. Please register in advance of the Zoom call. Following registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Pre-register here.
Sep 28, 2023 | Medicare, Physician Fee Schedule
Recent Developments in Rheumatology: Rheumatology also benefited from 2021 office-visit reimbursement increases and spending has been mixed in recent years. Click here to read more
Sep 28, 2023 | Medicare, Physician Fee Schedule
Recent Developments in Dermatology: The specialty benefited from 2021 office-visit reimbursement increases. Spending for dermatology has been mixed in recent years. Click here to read more
Sep 22, 2023 | Managed Care Friday
56%: Cataract surgery costs this much more when performed in a hospital outpatient department compared to an ASC. This is according to data from the BCBS Association. Analysis was performed on claims data for six common outpatient procedures across 133 million BCBS members from 2017 to 2022, which showed costs are consistently higher when procedures are performed in the hospital versus a lower site of care. Differences ranged between 31% more for clinical visits in the HOPD to 58% more for diagnostic colonoscopies. Closing The Gap: A new incentive program BCBS of NC started this year focuses...
Sep 15, 2023 | Managed Care Friday
5.4: The amount employers expect health benefit costs per employee to rise in 2024, largely due to market wide factors like inflation and labor shortages, along with healthcare specific costs like the approval of more gene and cellular therapies and increased utilization of the GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. This projected increase is larger than what employers have seen year over year in the past, which means self-insured employers will likely put additional pressure on health plans to try to keep costs down. “Expect continued emphasis on preventive measures, using telehealth to guide...
Sep 8, 2023 | Managed Care Friday
77: The percentage of mental health students and young practitioners ages 20-30 we polled who are both working toward a license as a therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist and would prefer to have or join a virtual practice. Injection At The Rx Counter: Bicycle Health, a telehealth provider of opioid use disorder treatment, is partnering with Albertsons to make prescriptions for Sublocade available at Albertsons pharmacies, which also include Safeway and Acme. The injection can be administered monthly as an alternative to taking a daily oral version. Once Bicycle Health patients receive a...
