Managed Care Friday

544: The number of healthcare stakeholders who weighed in for our multi-year study on the impact of social determinant of health initiatives, a majority of whom note challenges in scaling and achieving a quick ROI but significant longer-term savings and outcomes from sustained programs. Our report delves into ways to invest in social service models to help address gaps via technology, analytics, and infrastructure.  Click to read more.  Total Cost of Care: Health insurers are entering into these arrangements with selective behavioral health providers, not just primary care groups, so the...

Managed Care Friday

91: No, not the year the Cold War ended or Dennis Rodman’s jersey number but the percentage of regions across the country that have a single health insurer with at least 30% of the commercial market share, according to the American Medical Association’s new report on health insurance competition. Three quarters of metropolitan areas lacked a competitive commercial health insurance market in 2021, 2% less than the year before. Competition was even weaker in the Medicare Advantage market - nearly 80% of the 380 MSAs surveyed were “highly concentrated.” That’s a slight improvement compared to...

Managed Care Friday

46: The percentage of Americans who have been in debt due to medical bills according to a new survey conducted by Babylon, a digital first primary care service. Another 34% of Americans said they are struggling or will struggle to pay their healthcare maintenance costs, emergency needs and private health insurance. Younger adults between the ages of 25 and 34 were most likely to report struggling with costs, with 56% saying they are struggling or will struggle to pay for health maintenance costs. Case In Point: Monthly and weekly case rate or value-based agreements tied to acuity level and...

Managed Care Friday

6: The number of states with fewer than 30% of needed physicians available, according to data from the Health Resources and Services Administration. They include Alaska, Washington, Nebraska, Missouri, New Jersey and Delaware. In Delaware, only 16.4% of the primary care physicians needed are available. Rhode Island is the state with the greatest share of need met at 72.1%. Look What’s On Channel 9: Samsung is bringing primary care to your living room, courtesy of your smart TV. Through a partnership with virtual primary care company HealthTap, Samsung Smart TV users can connect to the...

Managed Care Friday

400: The percent increase in virtual care utilization since the pandemic started according to United Healthcare’s Kristin Rantala, national VP of sales and client management. Rantala says the level of telehealth “climbed so much throughout the pandemic” and has continued. Based on data from the past two years, BCBS of North Carolina has announced plans to expand telehealth coverage for primary care, behavioral health, and outpatient visits and BCBS of Massachusetts is following suit by rolling out a new virtual primary care option, allowing members to receive comprehensive telehealth through...

Managed Care Friday

7M: The number of women in the US who live in maternal health care “deserts,” areas with limited or no access to these health services, according to a new report from March of Dimes. The number of counties without any obstetric providers or obstetric care in local hospitals has grown 2% since 2020 and one of the driving factors is hospital closures – since 2005, over 180 rural hospitals have closed. These deserts are also more likely to be found in states that have restricted abortion, creating an even bigger imbalance in healthcare options for women in these areas. Waiving “Test” Approval:...