Healthcare employment growth predicted to skyrocket through 2020

Job growth in the healthcare sector will outpace other sectors through 2020 predicts new statistics released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

BLS’ employment projections find that total employment is expected to grow by 14.3 percent through 2020, resulting in 20.5 million jobs. Healthcare and social assistance should see the most gain with 5.6 million jobs.

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AMA urges halt of ICD-10, AHIMA disagrees

While the American Medical Association (AMA) is calling for a halt to ICD-10, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is countering by urging all to stay the course toward the Oct. 1, 2013 deadline.

In the letter sent Thursday to Department of Health and Humans Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius., AMA CEO James Madara, MD urged HHS “to make good on its commitment to improve the regulatory climate for physicians.”

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Hospitals' RAC audits usually managed by one compliance employee

Hospital audits conducted through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program are usually handled by compliance departments and are generally managed by a single full-time employee (FTE), according to a new survey from the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA).The HCCA made these determinations based on the results of a web-based survey of 41...

Health reform produces $2.1B in prescription savings for country's seniors

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act saved more than $2.1 billion in the cost of prescription drugs for more than 3.6 million seniors enrolled in Medicare in 2011.The data, released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, showed that savings have come from a variety of provisions in the law ranging from providing discounts on prescription medications to continuing ...

MGMA urges HHS to take immediate action on 5010-related payment delays

The Medical Group Management Association yesterday urged the U.S Department of Health and Human Services to take immediate action to help alleviate payment disruptions that have occurred due to the transition to HIPAA 5010.“Should the government not take the necessary steps, many practices face significantly delayed revenue, operational difficulties, a reduced ability to treat patients, staf...

UMass Memorial Health Care to cut 700-900 from its workforce

UMass Memorial Health Care in Worcester, Mass., will reduce its workforce by 700-900 in response to declining patient volumes and reimbursement, officials announced Wednesday. In a letter to employees, John O’Brien, president and CEO of UMass Memorial, said the system needs to immediately reduce expenses by about $50 million in order to avoid ending the current fiscal year with a loss.The re...

Chronic illness reaching crisis proportions

Chronic illness represents 75 percent of the $2 trillion in annual U.S. healthcare spending and is steadily moving toward crisis proportions, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

In its report, “Living Well with Chronic Illness: A Call for Public Health Action,” the IOM stated that enhancing life for individuals living with chronic illness should be the goal of the healthcare community.

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RUC adds two new members

The panel of physicians that makes recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services about the relative value of physician services has voted to add two new members to its current roster of 29.

The American Medical Association/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee, known as RUC, is adding a permanent seat for a representative from the American Geriatric Society (AGS) and a rotating seat for a primary care physician.

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Maine's low-income and senior populations face possible loss of insurance

As Mainers head to the polls this week, many seniors await the federal government’s decision regarding Gov. Paul LePage’s plan to cut MaineCare benefits by $37 million.

LePage said that cutting off about 65,000 people from MaineCare would bring Maine closer to the average state's enrollment. It would save Maine $66 million in the next 18 months, according to the proposal. Not doing so, LePage maintains, would put the state at risk of defaulting.

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4 reasons patients aren't managing their care

It's no secret successful healthcare only works with well-engaged patients. But, whether it's a lack of usable technology or unproven theories, recent research has shown patients are still not interested in managing their care. 

Steve Krupa, managing member at healthcare investment firm PSILOS, outlines four reasons why patients aren't managing their healthcare.  

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