Will value-based healthcare be the answer to America’s medical woes? A significant subset of providers seem to think so. According to a recent survey of the NEJM Catalyst Insights Council, 42% of participants believe that value-based reimbursement models will one day supplant fee-for-service as the primary revenue model for healthcare in the United States. [...]
At the close of July, the Trump administration proposed new policies that would create greater price transparency among healthcare providers. The driving idea behind the new proposal is that patients will be better able to shop around for care and choose options that fit within their budgetary limits instead of seeking care from the nearest [...]
Positive change may be on the horizon for patients who use -- or even rely on -- telehealth services. Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced its intent to overhaul its method for distributing telemedicine-adjacent funds through the Rural Health Care Program in a way that eliminates any current wasteful practices or inefficiencies. [...]
When patients enter the dusk of their sunset years, they need peace, support, and care. It can be a trying time for patients and family alike -- but with hospice, the burden weighs a little easier. According to one report published in the BMJ’s Supportive and Palliative Care, patients who enroll in hospice during their [...]
Will funding for initiatives against opioid addiction come from the very people who manufacture the pills? In recent months, pharmaceutical companies have found themselves in the legal hot seat. So far, over 2,000 local and tribal governments have sought action against the manufacturers in court, hoping to recoup some -- if not all -- of [...]
Copay accumulators aren’t welcome in Virginia. As of this March, state legislators in both the state and its neighbor, West Virginia, passed legislation that requires insurers to count copay assistance cards and manufacturer-provided coupons towards patients’ out-of-pocket limits. This measure comes in direct response to insurers’ increased tendency to use the policies to prevent payment [...]
Fragmented care has long been a frustrating thorn in the sides of those living with multiple or chronic illnesses. Despite the complexity of their conditions, these patients often receive little to no support when coordinating their medical treatment and struggle to shoulder the administrative burden themselves. Change, however, may be on the way in Illinois; [...]
Emergency care centers are intended to handle crisis cases -- but in practice, more patients walk in with primary care concerns than critical conditions. According to statistics provided by the Center for Disease Control, a full 32% of ER consults last for less than 15 minutes, and only 7.9% result in hospital admission. These numbers [...]
Telemedicine is an inarguable boon to modern care. By complementing traditional in-practice services with telemedical offerings, healthcare providers can extend specialty consults into the most remote rural clinics, cut down on the time patients wait for care, and even reach those who might have otherwise foregone the time and expense of in-person care. The [...]
When it comes to healthcare delivery, our intent is to be ever quicker, more effective, and less expensive. We want to improve treatment experiences and patient outcomes without slipping on our efficiency scores; we aim to provide ever-soaring value for our providers, payers, and patients, but we don’t want to stop cutting costs. When those [...]