Like airlines that offer first-class and coach sections, dermatology is becoming a two-tier business in which higher-paying customers receive greater pampering. In some dermatologists' offices, free spending cosmetic patients are given appointments more quickly than medical patients for whom health insurance pays fixed reimbursement fees. In other offices, cosmetic patients spend more time with a doctor, and sometimes doctors employ a special receptionist, called a cosmetic concierge, for their beauty patients. Some say the trend creates the message that the cosmetic patient is more important than the medical patient.
Humana customers now have access to Kindred Healthcare nursing centers in 26 states. Kindred and its subsidiaries currently operate 646 locations in 40 states. The agreement, which became active June 1, offers full access to 223 Kindred nursing centers for members of Humana's commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage plans.
St. Luke's Health System plans to end its provider network contract with UnitedHealthcare early next year, although the insurer hopes to negotiate a new contract. According to officials at the health system, the partnership's end was prompted by United's inconsistent reimbursement rates that have made it difficult for St. Luke's to offer "the quality of care it is committed to."
Numerous Birmingham, AL-area hospitals are starting to branch out from the urban core and locate in surrounding suburbs, but competition among them guarantees that all such moves will be long and drawn out through the state regulatory process. The regulatory process is intended to keep healthcare costs in check by preventing unnecessary duplication of services, but its critics believe it does the opposite by stifling competition.
Winston-Salem-based hospital chain Novant Health wants to build a 46-bed, $110 million hospital in Holly Springs, NC, but it will face a battle to win approval from the state. Novant Health announced plans for the Holly Springs hospital that would serve the town and southwest Wake County. If Novant wins approval, it would hire 200 to 300 people and open in 2012. It plans to submit its application to state regulators Aug. 15, but approval will likely be hard-fought because the plan would use up all the new hospital beds that state regulators have allocated for Wake County.
An untold number of people have been rejected for medical coverage because insurance companies are using huge, commercially available prescription databases to screen out applicants based on their drug purchases. Privacy and consumer advocates warn that the information can easily be misinterpreted or knowingly misused. The practice is adding another layer of anxiety to a marketplace that many consumers already find baffling, reports Business Week. The obstacle primarily confronts people seeking individual health insurance, not those covered under an employer's plan.