Health Care Delivery

Scottsdale Health Partners helps patients with social needs through a complex care coordination program and working with community resources like adult protective services or other city government branches, James Whitfill, MD, chief medical officer, explained at the National Association of ACOs Spring 2016 Conference.

Medicaid payments to hospitals comprise a large portion of a hospital’s finances; however, policy changes occurring under the Affordable Care Act may have several implications on the way hospitals receive payments from Medicaid.

While there are FDA-approved medications proven to help curb opioid addiction, not many physicians are taking full advantage of it.

Fears that insurers would sell cheaper, “bare bones” plans to attract healthy enrollees away from the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s marketplaces and shift sicker, more costly enrollees into the ACA plans have been unfounded.

Health plans are recognizing the importance of behavioral healthcare. In addition to meeting parity requirements, plans are proactively engaging with consumers who need behavioral healthcare, coordinating their care across the continuum, and working with them to find community-based support services they may need.

What we're reading, June 10, 2016: Carolinas HealthCare System faces antitrust lawsuit; Alaska looks to bail out its Obamacare marketplace; and Pfizer increases drug prices in the US for the second time this year.

Healthcare leaders and experts will come together to discuss disruptors, consumer engagement, digital health, and more at the AHIP Institute & Expo, being held June 15-17 in Las Vegas.

A new analysis from The Commonwealth Fund has found that the Cadillac tax will likely be more progressive than initially thought.

What we're reading, June 9, 2016: Philadelphia is poised to become the first major city to pass a soda tax; California raises its smoking age to 21; and the Obama administration looks to limit short-term health plans.

Even in a state with relatively few Medicaid restrictions on hepatitis C virus medications, a low number of patients requested treatment.

With only 3 medications FDA-approved to treat opioid addiction, patient access to these treatment options can be difficult, and each medication presents its own challenges, said Kelly J. Clark, MD, MBA, president elect of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

There is a significant variation in quality of urgent healthcare provided during virtual visits, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Since the implementation of ACA, Florida Blue’s enrollment plans have changed in that plan has expanded its outreach platforms and had to educate a larger audience of consumers, explained Anne Jessup, senior director of digital channels at Florida Blue.

Drug costs are a significant contributor to rising healthcare costs, along with the cost of healthcare services. How can providers and patients work together to find a solution to this problem?

On the first day of the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, healthcare experts from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, compared and contrasted the care models that are widely adopted in each nation.

Donald B. Verrilli won key cases to keep intact the Affordable Care Act. With his winning argument in the 2015 case to extend marriage equality to all states, same-sex couples could no longer be denied the right to cover a spouse on an insurance policy or be named next-of-kin for medical decisions.

People who live in the country’s 2 biggest states that have not expanded Medicaid have more complaints about healthcare costs and quality and would like their states to expand the program.

Cigna and Anthem, which are potentially merging in the future, both announced they were taking steps to curb inappropriate opioid and prescription drug use.

Survival rates of patients with liver disease were better among those with 2 or more visits to a gastroenterologist, but access issues impede patients from receiving care.

Hospitals that serve the more vulnerable population perform worse with their readmission rate following cancer surgery, and the subsequent penalties that they face can further strain the hospital’s already burdened finances.

Historically, men and women who are currently serving or who have previously served in the United States military have limited treatment options when it comes to infertility resulting from service-related injury.

What we're reading, June 1, 2016: for the first time in a decade, the death rate in the United States has risen; UnitedHealth confirms it will leave the California insurance exchange in 2017; and just 6% of Americans do the 5 things they need to prevent disease.

New hepatitis C virus treatments may be extraordinarily effective, curing the disease in many cases, but the high cost has posed an enormous economic challenge that speakers outlined during a briefing in Washington, DC.

Access to care remains an issue for many US veterans, but a new initiative between the Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and MinuteClinic could expand access to care in Northern California.