Aug 24, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
1. 64: That’s the percentage of Americans who reported they would attend an appointment via video telehealth, according to an American Well Telehealth study. The Council of Accountable Physician Practices and the Electronic Data Interchange released new documents designed to help healthcare providers in developing and launching telelhealth and telemedicine services. These documents, called “A Roadmap to Telehealth Adoption: From Vision to Business Model,” contain information designed to help identify resources of federal and state regulations as well as policies, pilot programs and use...
Aug 17, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
1. 12.8: That’s the percentage of adolescents In the US who experience at least one episode of major depression according to the National Institute of Mental Health. New research shows depression in teens is linked to parents, and when treating it, their parent’s mental health improves as well. As social creatures, treating one member of the family helps the other. Check out this story and study we did related to the impact of sports on parents and their kids. Click here 2. Palliative Outsourcing Avalanche: Several Anthem MCOs now use a vendor called Aspire to provide Palliative support to...
Aug 10, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
1. 60: That’s the percentage of people suffering from Alzheimer’s who are women. Recent studies show women endure Alzheimer’s disease more than men. For years it was written off as an age issue because women live longer than men. Now, neurologists are studying that it could be for more reasons than just life expectancy. Read the full story on the Kaiser Permanente studyhere. 2. Asthma City: Asthma Capitals and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) released research on the “Most Challenging places to live with Asthma” including Springfield, MA, Richmond, VA and Dayton, OH. New...
Aug 3, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
1. By the Numbers: Of 54 million adults suffering from arthritis, 44 percent have limitations that affect mental health. According to the American Psychological Association, anxiety affects blood pressure and high blood pressure often goes untreated in those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Chronic daily pain can change the levels of the brain and nervous system chemicals. This changes thinking, behavior and depression. 2. ADHD: Insurance coverage for ADHD drugs and therapy programs is inconsistent between healthcare providers. Cigna released their prescription drug list changes for...
Jul 27, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
1. One Million: Number of people over 5 years of age that are considered functionally deaf. More than half of those people are over the age of 65. With the great popularity of the ear buds and beat headphones at the gym, hearing loss is becoming more of an issue. Letting your kids playing video games at full volume can be more damaging to their hearing than you think. A recent study involving participants aged 18-41 shows those who showed small amounts of hearing loss had unusual activity in their right frontal cortex of their brain. The study concluded these changes show signs of dementia...
Jul 13, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
1. 6157: The name of a Senate bill in Washington state that forced Regence BCBS to do away with a policy requiring pre-approval for PT, chiropractic, massage, OT and speech therapy for the first 6 visits after an initial evaluation. A source with Evicore, which handles these requests for the insurer, told us it will identify patients who won’t need the authorization in this state. Pre-approval is required for visits after 7 and, due to the policy, an Evicore therapy evaluator said, ‘this sort of makes it harder to get approval for more than 3-5’ unless it’s a youth injury situation or a...
