Katie Sullivan

Expansion or not, it is obvious that states must consider how to make their Medicaid programs more sustainable.

The future of healthcare is shaping into something that looks like it is out of a science-fiction movie: electronic health records, E-prescriptions, big data, and cutting-edge technologies being used in the patient procedures. So why are the healthcare insurance exchanges relying on stone-age processes?

Beyond the online marketplaces and networks of health systems seeking to meet the influx of newly insured, are the individuals who will be providing patient care. By 2020, the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that there will be a 90,000 shortage in physicians. To fill that provider gap, many are looking to the physician assistant (PA) workforce.

Practitioners, payers, and patients alike increasingly recognize the need for the PCMH in the United States, especially as reform efforts seek to control costs and improve quality of care delivery.

As the government shutdown drags on, patients and providers are feeling the strain.

Having access to a computer and the Internet may seem like a basic commodity for most Americans, but for the economically challenged, this is not always the case.

Yesterday, the official website enrolling masses of uninsured Americans into health plans logged 1 million visits.

The country is abuzz with news of the state-based exchanges opening today. For the millions of uninsured, it means they can finally obtain affordable coverage. Yet, a lack of outreach and education about what the exchanges entail has created a missing link between consumers and their ability to make effective decisions.

Tomorrow marks the official start date of open enrollment in the healthcare insurance exchange marketplace. For the first time in history, millions nationwide will have the opportunity to purchase health insurance as a benefit of the Affordable Care Act.

While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has incited critically-needed interest and discussion of a more competitive insurance marketplace in order to control costs, there are still many emerging concerns about both the public and private healthcare exchanges.

While more than 35 million people worldwide are living with dementia, that number is expected to reach more that 115 million by 2050.

The highly contentious debate over expanding state Medicaid programs may be given another alternative.

Optimizing the length of stay at a hospital is critical to patient health outcomes, and more importantly, controlling healthcare costs.

In an effort to control insurance premium costs, major insurance companies in California are limiting the number of doctors and hospitals that will be available to patients obtaining health plans in the new state health insurance marketplace.

Health Information Technology (HIT) is expected to make patients' medical information not only more accessible, but easier to share among providers. Yet, despite the promising capabilities of HIT, providers are not entirely convinced about the costs that come with health technology.

At least one company's doubts about the reform effort have led to their departure from the new navigator program intended to assist the uninsured in obtaining health plans through the federal health exchange.

As healthcare delivery evolves to be more efficient and cost-effective, health technology continues to show the biggest promise.

The ability to treat cancer in a growingly aging population is reaching a near crisis level in the healthcare community.

The expansion of Medicaid may drastically change the demographics of beneficiaries.

Even if the employer mandate will not be enforced until 2015, the US Treasury Department is still looking at ways to simplify the healthcare reporting process for employers and insurance companies.

Hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide are increasingly buying more physician practices as health reform requires care delivery to move toward a more quality-based care model instead of a fee-for-service one. The reactions are mixed.

While health law reform and expansion of insurance coverage comes with good intentions, there are many other decisions that are seemingly shifting care in the opposite direction.

Coupons and vouchers for name-brand prescription drugs claim to cut costly out-of-pocket expenses, but they actually may be doing very little to control prices.

Premium rates for health plan policies in the health insurance exchange (HIE) are expected to vary nationally, but they aren't likely to skyrocket - at least according to one research group.

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other coordinated care models present opportunities for improving quality as well as offering incentives that will drive lower-cost decision making among providers

Driving value-based care through incentives that reward lower-cost delivery measures showed promising results in a recent study.

Only 6 states across the country are currently receiving funds through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision intended to increase Medicaid managed-care payments to meet Medicare payment levels.

Could Medicare payment models impact a physician's decision to prescribe cancer drug supplements? A recent study from The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits published new findings that say they can.

Adhering to the best practices in cancer care may be the answer many oncologists have been looking for, at least according to one hospital's findings.

The healthcare reform act intends to extend insurance coverage for millions of Medicare patients nationwide, but that doesn't mean it will expand their access to physicians.