On August 25, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released performance results for the eighth performance year (2020) of the Medicare Shared Savings Program(MSSP). The results for this year need to be interpreted carefully given that the majority of the performance year occurred during the global COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the pandemic,…
The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the health disparities across the United States and is fueling overdue discussion on how they can be systematically addressed to achieve the bigger goal of delivering the best care everywhere. Much of this discussion is focused around how to best leverage the valuable troves of health care data…
COVID-19 offers a “unique opportunity” to build healthcare systems that are both agile enough to deal with future crises and strong enough to overcome existing challenges. That’s according to a new policy paper from the European Alliance for Value in Health. Health Systems after COVID-19: Building Resilience Through a Value-Based Approach argues that instead of…
COVID-19 exacted a toll on health citizens’ mental health, worsening a public health challenge that was already acute before the pandemic. It’s World Mental Health Day, an event marked by global and local stakeholders across the mental health ecosystem. On the global front, the World Health Organization (WHO) describes the universal phenomenon and burden of mental…
COVID-19 vaccination has become a tricky subject for providers to navigate during patient visits. While we need to understand our patients’ vaccination status to care for them, we must also remain sensitive to potential vaccine hesitancy. Against this backdrop lies a golden opportunity for us to help our patients make sound, educated decisions about whether…
Hospitals and health systems can implement value-based payment models to ensure preparedness for seasonal and pandemic capacity surges, according to industry experts. Hospitals experienced increased demand for tangible resources and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, demand health systems typically only face during peak flu season. Unlike organizations in other industries, hospitals and health systems tend to lose…
COVID-19 pandemic fatigue has many people seeking a return to normalcy. But health care needs a new normal—one that achieves better health outcomes for more people. Wishing for a return to health care’s old normal is like driving into a long tunnel hoping for a U-turn that takes you back to where you started. Multiple…
The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed how healthcare is and will be delivered in the future, Scott Gottlieb, M.D., former commissioner of the FDA, said during his keynote address today at the 2021 Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute®Annual National Conference in Orlando, Florida. The future of healthcare is going to be very different from what it is now,…
The fast-spreading Delta variant is the dominant strain of a virus many had hoped would be eradicated by now. COVID-19’s Delta variant was first identified in India in December of 2020. Now Delta accounts for 97 percent of new infections in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The growing impact of Delta…
Understanding the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare industry is not yet possible, but a few outcomes are evident. Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment rates are surging alongside the unemployment rate.1 In addition, postponed procedures and delayed routine services—as well as pent-up demand for elective procedures—will soon drive increased utilization….