Medicare Advantage managed care plans surpass outcomes of regular Medicare

Managed Medicare Advantage plans shine No No A new analysis of more than 3 million claims for Medicare patients found that patients enrolled in a managed Medicare Advantage plan had better health outcomes than those senior enrolled in the traditional fee-for-service Medicare model. The report “Alternative Pay...

IDC roadmap looks to provide a roadmap for the continued development of ACOs

With recognition that "the path through accountable care is unknown," IDC Health Insights has launched a new Accountable Care Maturity Model, designed to help healthcare organizations gauge their own status and make strategic decisions for funding business and IT initiatives.

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Studies debunk cost-shifting claims

Studies debunk cost-shifting claims Daily Feature No One of the principal arguments for passing healthcare reform legislation circled around the theory of cost shifting. In essence, when hospitals care for uninsured patients that don’t pay bills, or when they receive low reimbursements for Medicare or Medicai...

Senate finally confirms Marilyn Tavenner as CMS Administrator

After an 18-month wait, Marilyn Tavenner was confirmed by the Senate as CMS administrator on Wednesday and was broadly hailed by nearly all corners of the industry.

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Stable nurse staffing improves quality

Stable nurse staffing improves quality No No A recent study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI) suggests that rural hospitals may be able to ensure more high-quality care to their patients if they are able to maintain a lower nurse turnov...

Aging not the overwhelming driver of higher healthcare spending as thought

Elderly healthcare spending up only 0.5% No No A new report has found that aging is not as overwhelming a driver of increased healthcare spending as isgenerally believed. As people age, they spend more on health care per capita, but seniors have consistently contributed an average increase of less than half a perce...

New website spotlights data, care models

HIMSS Media launched a global online community this week dedicated to chronicling new and innovative models of healthcare that improve individual and community well-being, while also promising cost reduction.

The Future Care community website is supported by IBM and its Smarter Care initiative.

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Grasping healthcare spending

Grasping healthcare spending No No Healthcare spending in the U.S. is out of control and part of the reason for the approaching train wreck is that decision makers place too much trust in people’s ability to think rationally. At least that’s the conclusion of a recent analysis in Health Affairs. Part of...

Republicans, after failing to fund the ACA, take issue with HHS solicitation

As the GOP-controlled House of Representatives prepares again to vote this week on a repeal of the 2010 health law, some key Republican senators have seized on recent news developments to show their ire.

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Feds take down 89 people in eight cities in Medicare fraud totaling $223 million

Feds announce new Medicare fraud bust No No The federal government has uncovered a string of alleged Medicare fraud attempts totalling $223 million and involving 89 individuals in eight cities.The joint investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice was the sixth national...