An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association describes behavioral interventions to encourage appropriate antibiotic prescribing.
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A paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research examines the relative contributions of moral hazard and adverse selection to inefficiencies in health insurance markets.
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"Revolutionary" health plan company Oscar has apparently raised $400 million in additional capital at a rumored $2.7 billion valuation. Fools rush in.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-23/oscar-said-to-be-valued-at-2-7-billion-in-fidelity-led-round?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=26530585&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--Kbvtt7gNc_rS54l4swr9prbJKICNd9cCkMEMbrcvBEE7dNKhYq8nOESbKrMSYNgKTRfYsMZvAUDY1ZzRw8wYUtKXp-1O0wBvcJ8Ufns9296nBJOA&_hsmi=26530585A report from America's Health Insurance Plans finds that commercial health plans often pay hospitals much more than Medicare for the same service.
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So you are a health plan selling policies on the reform law insurance exchanges and you do a lousy actuarial and pricing job and you are losing lots of money; so how to fix that. Let's screw the doctors by cutting their reimbursement 4.5%; that is exactly what Highmark, a Pennsylvania Blues plan is doing. Gutless, lame, pathetic; call it whatever you want, the regulators should stop it. It isn't the doctors' fault that Highmark can't price.
http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/10004191-74/highmark-plans-marketplace?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRokuqrPcu%2FhmjTEU5z17e8oXKS2lMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4FS8thNa%2BTFAwTG5toziV8R7LMKM1ty9MQWxTkThe Congressional Budget Office issues a report finding that federal laws, and in particular the reform law, have a variety of effects on health insurance premiums.
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An IMS Health report considers the rate of price declines when brand drugs lose their patent protection.
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Indicating its seriousness about health care data and analytics, IBM is spending $2.6 billion to buy Truven Health Analytics, which helps providers, employers, plans, life sciences companies and others.
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160218/NEWS/160219904?utm_source=modernhealthcare&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20160218-NEWS-160219904&utm_campaign=mh-alertA research letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association examines the life expectancy gap between the United States and other developed nations.
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Protenus (no, it doesn't support professional tennis) has raised $4 million in new financing for privacy tools for EMRs.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-protenus-seriesa-20160216-story.html?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+Daily+Health+Policy+Report&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=26333286&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9kQxFfPG4KmYN_0fBM28OVhswteGOczTPzeR2UcGY_X3cKZdo5m6ttyV7tq-SLD_8dJzO9cENJIhP-BYZAZBMFnOeF3LwqTOAGr3Z2fX8cVnmr0zM&_hsmi=26333286A brief PriceWaterhouseCooper report examines premium trends on the reform law's health insurance exchanges.
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A Commonwealth Fund case study highlights efforts to reshape the treatment of common conditions.
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A survey from Finn Partners reveals actions consumers are taking in regard to their health care and health plans.
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From my home state of Minnesota comes a report revealing the shocking fact that people with chronic conditions have high health spending, doh!!
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