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 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 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...
May 28, 2021 | Managed Care Friday
This week’s column includes some of the most read items of the past two years and a few new ones. Happy Memorial Day! $4,229: The average total savings when using bundled payment programs for surgeries, according to a Rand study of one payer’s program in which procedures including knee and hip replacements, spinal fusion and bariatric weight loss surgeries used a set bundled payment for all care within a 30-day period. Finding Oneself In A Non-Binary: Healthcare is getting an education on the fly of how to manage and document their encounters with patients who are non-binary. My 78-year-old...
May 21, 2021 | Managed Care Friday
6: The number of independent physician associations in Philadelphia that merged to create the Constitution Physician Alliance network. The group includes over 200 specialists and primary care physicians, and will collaborate to focus on disease prevention and reducing hospital admissions. The network is managed by CareAllies, a Cigna company. A Whole New World: Disney is embracing telehealth. As part of Disney World’s partnership with Florida health system AdventHealth, the theme park will now make connected health services available to guests, employees and others, including a telehealth...
May 14, 2021 | Managed Care Friday
4: Number of hospitals HCA is selling in Georgia to Piedmont Healthcare, the Atlanta-based clinically integrated network. The sale gives Piedmont 15 hospitals, reducing HCA’s footprint in the state to 5 hospitals. But HCA appears to be increasingly focusing on post-acute and home-based care, having acquired a majority stake in Brookdale Senior Living’s home health, hospice, and outpatient therapy business earlier in the year. Piedmont is also picking up 3 additional hospitals in the Augusta region through another deal, announced soon after the HCA news. Where’s The Beef: Tyson Foods is...
