Not only is insurance on the reform law's exchanges costing a lot more than projected, but the Mediciaid expansion also is more expensive.
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Consulting firm Avalere analyzes the service categories behind premium increases for 2017 in the small group and individual markets.
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Medicare's Independence at Home demonstration is designed to provide better care for chronically ill beneficiaries and CMS claims that in the second year the 15 participating practices saved Medicare $10 million, or over $1000 per beneficiary, with seven practices earning $5.7 million in bonuses, and quality improving.
https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2016-Press-releases-items/2016-08-09.htmlYet another paper on geographic health spending variation; this one examining the role of regional physician practice patterns.
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Accolade deserves plaudits after landing $70 million in funding for its health care navigator service.
http://medcitynews.com/2016/08/accolade-and-healthcare-navigation/?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=32798674&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9WTcxMyAssCt6tWJtXhkXrLkSvRL2pjGEzurc93VxSEYyPO3k_sXfPlZWd9oJFfjGW_OS0aGfDKZqwU4W4vSA-MlFUb5JAimdXVP6FM2UjFHavx3U&_hsmi=32798674&rf=1A vendor helping providers deal with bundled payments, MDsave, garners $5 million in new capital.
http://medcitynews.com/2016/08/mdsave-and-bundled-payments/?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=32854742&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-89oU8nq0RZICijt76G0GZL98iqCx5Dh1DZb00N3NGA3E_7U6m4FC_Vd7AaSq-V1amnjP0N0oYpaVf4CPITCpWBKCd6PeXDV2bVt7iJOQp0hyUYCdc&_hsmi=32854742&rf=1Two new surveys indicate that employers' health plan costs will continue to rise at a significant clip in 2017.
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Physician IT costs, driven by government regulations, continue to rise rapidly, pressuring profitability, according to an MGMA survey. In 2025, IT costs averaged $32,500 per physician, up 40% since 2009.
http://www.mgma.com/about/mgma-press-room/press-releases/2016/healthcare-technology-costs-top-32-500-dollars-per-physicianAvia, which consults with hospitals on being innovative, has landed $7.2 million in new financing, primarily from the providers it works with.
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160810/NEWS/160819997?utm_source=modernhealthcare&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20160810-NEWS-160819997&utm_campaign=financedailyA Kaiser Family Foundation brief explores techniques to provide health insurance for high-risk individuals.
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Workit Health works the room, laboring to find $1.1 million in new capital to support its addiction recovery service.
http://medcitynews.com/2016/08/workit-health-raises-1-1m-bid-go-beyond-digital-version-traditional-addiction-recovery/?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=32737007&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--zp-ywEJ670xvSbKKvVHzeTuh2-TcjdJDjO5XkRrxbfdWSvVY7qeqUjTNWG4yT_qzyPQWglma5wKG8JFCAmdj9IgdQRKo8mSp8VSYwKjoCINcuP9c&_hsmi=32737007&rf=1CareSkore (ok, I can't even begin to figure out what that is supposed to mean) has raised $4.3 million (apparently the investors weren't worried about the name) for its predictive population health management products. (Maybe it was supposed to be CareSnore)
https://www.pehub.com/2016/08/careskore-raises-4-3-mln/HealthStream, which helps health care companies with workforce issues, is acquiring Morrisey Associates, a vendor of clinician assessment and improvement services, for $48 million.
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160809/NEWS/160809910?utm_source=modernhealthcare&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20160809-NEWS-160809910&utm_campaign=financedailyAbout this Blog
The Healthy Skeptic is a website about the health care system, and is written by Kevin Roche, who has many years of experience working in the health industry. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.