CMS is proposing a nearly 8% revenue increase for Medicare Advantage plans next year, according to a proposed payment plan released Wednesday. The overall rate increase for 2023 includes a 4.75% effective growth rate and a 3.5% average increase in risk scores. The risk-adjusted benchmark trend, which analysts peg as the key number, comes out…
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) though by no means a new care modality is evolving rapidly, spurred by the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding regulatory push to expand access to care. In its simplest form, RPM involves the use of connected electronic tools to record personal health and medical data in one location…
Despite the promise of value-based care, the current compensation structure continues to incentivize physicians for volume. A payment hierarchy exists in the U.S. health care system. Reimbursement mechanisms used by payers create incentives for health systems and physician organizations. In turn, these organizations create incentives for physicians through compensation packages, which may or may not…
In March 2015, the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice issued a scathing report on policing practices in Ferguson, Missouri, where Michael Brown, an 18-year-old Black man, had been shot and killed by police the year before. It described a police department that routinely issued citations to generate revenue for the city’s…
Despite a significant push towards value-based care in recent years, many health systems still largely compensate physicians based on the volume of their services, according to a new study from RAND Corporation. A push for value-based care According to Fierce Healthcare, there has been an ongoing push across the health care industry, particularly from payers,…
Despite a decades-long push toward value-based payment, physician compensation arrangements at health system-owned practices still primarily revolves around the volume of services delivered, according to a new study from RAND Corporation. The study recently published in JAMA Health Forum examined physician compensation structures at 31 physician organizations affiliated with 22 health systems in four states….
Patient navigators could be effective in closing racial disparities in primary care access, according to new data, with the healthcare professionals able to connect more Hispanic patients than if patients went at it alone. The report, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, particularly showed that Hispanic patients working with a…
Are 66 new accountable care organizations (ACOs) in a year a sign of progress or a disappointing result? That depends on who you ask. CMS announced last week that 66 additional ACOs joined the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) for ACOs in 2022, bringing the total up to 483 ACOs. However, that number is only…
There are few silver linings related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but one that stands out is the growing recognition that health equity must be an essential guiding principle for health care organizations going forward. The broader health care system suffered greatly due to the coronavirus outbreak that has infected tens of millions and killed hundreds…
The global pandemic spurred a rapid uptake of telehealth for nearly all health care providers and has permanently changed how health care is delivered. At present, providers and insurers are grappling with how to balance telehealth and in person care, focusing discussions around reimbursement models and logistical considerations. In this article, the authors discuss whether…