When the covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020 and emptied doctors’ offices nationwide, telemedicine was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Patients and their physicians turned to virtual visits by video or phone rather than risk meeting face-to-face. During the early months of the pandemic, telehealth visits for care exploded. “It was a dramatic shift…
In October of 2021, CMS’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) released their Ten-Year Strategic Plan which has five main pillars, one of which is Advancing Health Equity. They also outlined one of their key goals, to have all Medicare beneficiaries in some form of accountable care relationship by 2030. Achieving this goal will…
High-quality primary care is a critical tool to advance health equity within Medicaid, which includes many enrollees who identify as people of color. This population experiences long-standing health inequities due to factors including structural racism and historic underinvestment in safety-net institutions. To support higher-quality, more equitable primary care, there is growing consensus that payment reform…
Many ACOs are in the throes of planning to adopt APP Reporting. It’s a massive undertaking that can be costly, depending on your ACO’s configuration of practices. If your ACO is scrambling to sort this out, you’re not alone in your abrupt initiation into the world of EHR data. Welcome to the joy ride. In…
As nursing home advocates continue to push for ending the 3-day hospital stay requirement, a recently released federal agency report on the use of these waivers by accountable care organizations (ACOs) showcases some of the benefits that they have brought to patients and providers. Use of waivers by ACOs for a 3-day stay did not…
It’s no secret that something needs to be done in order to curb the unsustainable increase in Medicare spending. In 2021, overall Medicare cost grew 8.4%, or 21% of total national health expenditure, greatly exceeding the pace of economic expansion and in turn threatening the long-term financial viability of the program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid…
“Safety-net” health care organizations are a critical backbone of the US healthcare system, providing care to millions regardless of their ability to pay. Despite significant variability in how the safety-net is characterized, a growing number of definitions identify safety-net providers based on the populations they serve: traditionally disadvantaged individuals, including historically marginalized racial and ethnic…
Download Slides Diagnostic laboratory services is at the heart of healthcare, driving 70% of all key decisions. Optimization of this actionable data helps to close gaps in care and reduce cost. Visit the BioReference Exhibit Booth
This year is likely to be another big one for telemedicine. The technology-enabled form of healthcare delivery has huge momentum coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. But at the same time, the pandemic public health emergency is scheduled to end in May, which means action is needed by lawmakers to keep reimbursement going in 2023….
According to a Feb. 23 press release, Cleveland-based The Center for Health Affairs, a regional hospital association, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are collaborating to establish a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Innovation Hub. The goal of the hub is to address structural racism and poverty that result in gun violence, behavioral health crises, and…