HealthLeadersMedia.com - Marketing News & Analysis

Lower ED Margins Demand a Better Strategy

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:35:00 GMT

In this new Intelligence Report, we examine how resolving organizational problems in the emergency department will remain a challenge as demand for ED services increases, overcrowding elevates patient safety concerns, and quality metrics draw greater attention.

Healthcare Costs Hit Record High, But Growth Rate Slows

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:28:00 GMT

The 2013 Milliman Medical Index pegs the annual cost of PPO coverage at 6.3% higher than last year. Physician and other professional services account for one third of annual healthcare spending.

Immigrant healthcare bills stump House group

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:09:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- Differences over whether immigrants should be deported for failing to have health insurance or pay their healthcare bills have stalled a bipartisan group of House lawmakers, who blew past a self-imposed Thursday deadline as they pressed forward on a sweeping immigration overhaul. Negotiators emerged upbeat from a closed-door meeting in the Capitol and said they remained on track to produce a bill by June. That, in itself, was significant, after the group of eight was on the verge of breakup. "We were all positive that we can move forward," said Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho, a top Republican leading the bipartisan effort.

CA picks 13 health plans for state-run insurance market

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:03:00 GMT

After weeks of negotiations, California said it has selected 13 health plans for a new state-run insurance marketplace where as many as 5 million people will shop for coverage next year. Officials at Covered California, the state agency implementing the federal Affordable Care Act, said Thursday that the winning bidders reflected a mix of large commercial insurers and smaller regional plans. The state also released some sample rates, illustrating how premiums will vary across health plans in this new market.

$6.4B Henry Ford, Beaumont Merger Failed on Cultural Hurdles

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:49:00 GMT

A merger between two Michigan healthcare providers has been called off because of stark cultural differences between them, observers say. Those differences include the patient populations they each serve and the organizations' physician compensation models.

Hospital Pricing Transparency a Marketing Game Changer

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:53:00 GMT

While hospital and health system marketers have traditionally been charged chiefly with touting the qualities of their healthcare services, the exposure of pricing data adds a level of complexity to the marketing mix.

House Lawmakers Grill CMS Over Health Exchange Navigators

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:11:00 GMT

The role of navigators, expected to help millions of uninsured make their way through the health insurance market, came under fire Tuesday by members of Congress who raised questions about oversight and the role of the IRS in the implementation of healthcare reform.

End of health price secrecy may be starting in Miami

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:02:00 GMT

When Medicare released thousands of health-care prices this month, one of the biggest criticisms was that these figures didn't represent what patients actually paid. Medicare, for example, pays hospitals on a set fee schedule, regardless of their prices. Health insurance plans typically negotiate a lower rate with a hospital than the sticker price that showed up in the new data. Those prices still remain secret — but that may change. Spurred by the release of the Medicare data, the chief executive of Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami has now pledged to release those negotiated rates that tend to be kept secret. Via MedCity News:

How Chargemaster Data May Affect Hospital Revenue

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:05:00 GMT

The now transparent federal database of hospital prices could motivate hospital financial assistance offices to write more flexible policies for collecting from uninsured, underinsured, and Medicare Advantage patients.

Some could have gaps in medical coverage under new law

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:13:00 GMT

When the national healthcare law takes full effect next year, millions of Americans risk disrupted health coverage because of common life events: getting married or divorced, having children or taking on a second job. As their family incomes change, so too will their eligibility for public insurance programs. And if nothing is done, policymakers warn, many low-income patients will lose access to their doctors and medications during this massive game of health coverage pingpong. Policymakers and healthcare industry leaders across the nation are paying close attention to the issue and working to close the coverage gaps before Jan. 1, said Alan Weil, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy.

69% of Employers Plan to Offer Healthcare Coverage After 2014

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:19:00 GMT

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is having little effect on workforce strategies, employer survey data shows. More than two-thirds of employers say they will continue to provide healthcare coverage when health insurance exchanges begin operation in 2014.

CMS Seeks to 'Rapidly Reduce' Medicare Spending with $1B in Grants

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:16:00 GMT

The second round of federal Health Care Innovation Awards specifically seeks clinical models that will quickly shrink Medicare costs and improve care for populations with special needs as well as population health.

Pills tracked from doctor to patient to aid drug marketing

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:51:00 GMT

In the old days, sales representatives from drug companies would chat up local pharmacists to learn what drugs doctors were prescribing. Now such shoulder-rubbing is becoming a quaint memory — thanks to vast databases of patient and doctor information being used by pharmaceutical companies to market drugs. The information allows drug makers to know which drugs a doctor is prescribing and how that compares to a colleague across town. They know whether patients are filling their prescriptions — and refilling them on time. They know details of patients' medical conditions and lab tests, and sometimes even their age, income and ethnic backgrounds.

UnitedHealth, Humana may see surge in Medicare Advantage

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:08:00 GMT

Enrollment in the U.S.-funded Medicare plans run by UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), Humana Inc. and other insurers may rise 50 percent in the next decade rather than declining as predicted earlier, U.S. budget analysts said. Medicare Advantage plans for the elderly and disabled will swell to 21 million participants by fiscal 2023 from 14 million this year, the Congressional Budget Office said yesterday in its annual review of the federal budget. The CBO didn't explain the revision from its previous estimate that enrollment would fall to 11 million and a spokeswoman didn't respond to an e-mail.

How Medical Debt Forgiveness Benefits Hospitals

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:07:00 GMT

A tax expert describes how forgiving medical debts that a healthcare provider will more than likely never collect has an "incredibly low cost, generating very high return" for hospitals.

2 million fewer US uninsured to gain health coverage

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:11:00 GMT

President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform law will extend coverage to 2 million fewer uninsured Americans than expected only a few months ago, congressional researchers said on Tuesday. A new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said 25 million people who currently lack insurance will obtain coverage through subsidized marketplaces or an expanded Medicaid program over the coming decade, down from a February CBO estimate of 27 million people. The office attributed the drop to a change in administration policy that will exempt 500,000 to 1 million more people from the law's individual mandate, which levies a fine on those who fail to obtain health coverage beginning in 2014.

In Miami, more hospital prices may see light of day

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:06:00 GMT

Once a closely-held competitive secret, hospital prices are beginning to shake loose from the grips of healthcare executives in the wake of last week's unprecedented move by the federal government to publicly share what hospitals bill Medicare for the most common diagnoses and treatments. The data dump revealed that hospitals across the country, and even in the same communities, charge the government wildly different amounts for the same care, and they receive varying reimbursements from Medicare in return.

Cincinnati hospital deepens links to China

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has formed a partnership with one of the largest pediatric hospitals in China with plans to collaborate on cancer and blood diseases. The agreement with Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University runs for three years. The Cincinnati hospital has been working for several years to form international connections as a way to increase its global influence, share expertise and draw more paying customers. It started with Israel in 2011. Cincinnati Children's will host faculty from Chongqing Children's for clinical experience in hematology and oncology. Chongqing will host two to three faculty members a year from Cincinnati Children's for education and consultation on complex cases.

Access to EHR Notes Lauded by Patients, Providers

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:24:00 GMT

In a pilot, a system which permits patients to view all the notes in their electronic health records was such a hit with hospital patients and physicians that Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Geisinger Health System are dramatically expanding their OpenNotes programs.

Hospitals promote screenings that experts say many people do not need

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:57:00 GMT

Hospitals hoping to attract patients and build goodwill are teaming up with medical-screening companies to promote tests they say might prevent deadly strokes or heart disease. What their promotions don't say is that an influential government panel recommends against many of the tests for people without symptoms or risk factors. The panel says such screenings find too few problems to outweigh the drawbacks, which include false positive results and unnecessary follow-up procedures and surgery. Other medical experts warn that the tests could needlessly raise health-care spending.