News Briefs
Insurers Ignoring Rulings to Pay Surprise Bills, Doctors Say
Insurers are sometimes ignoring rulings to pay providers, or failing to pay them in full, under the arbitration system established by the new federal surprise billing law, providers tell Axios. Providers have previously complained the system has been so bogged down by disputes that they have to wait months to get through the arbitration process to get reimbursed.
(Source: Axios, 2023-08-03)
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CMS to Boost Hospital Payments by 3.1%, $2.2 Billion in 2024
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has finalized a 3.1 percent payment rate increase for hospitals for 2024, an increase from the 2.8 percent bump regulators proposed earlier this year. The final rate increase should boost hospital payments by $2.2 billion, according to the agency.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2023-08-02)
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Experts Say Hospital Price Transparency Initiative Falls Short
Experts believe recent price transparency initiatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are a step in the right direction but ultimately fall short of making the impact all parties desire. In July, CMS proposed that all hospitals must use a standard template in a machine-readable file format.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2023-08-01)
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Hospitals Harmed by Site-Neutral Payment Policies, AHA Says
As healthcare prices are put under the microscope, the American Hospital Association is criticizing a cost-cutting method to reduce prices for outpatient services. The hospital group's CEO, Rick Pollack, wrote in a letter to The Wall Street Journal expressing concerns about site-neutral payment policies under which payers reimburse the same amount for outpatient services regardless of whether they were performed in a hospital outpatient department or a physician's office.
(Source: RevCycle Intelligence, 2023-08-07)
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Senators Propose National Advisory Commission on Long-Term Care
Two U.S. senators are proposing a new national advisory commission on long-term care services, but the legislation creating it does not appear to include nursing home representatives. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Boozman (R-AR) introduced the Supporting Our Seniors Act, which would create the Commission on Long-Term Care.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2023-08-02)
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FDA Updates, Expands List of Premarket Medical Device Standards
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has updated and expanded its list of premarket medical device consensus standards that include important topics such as medical device cybersecurity, sterilizing products using radiation and using certain materials and alloys. FDA published tables listing voluntary consensus standards that are either withdrawn, replaced, corrected or are newly recognized, to help sponsors align with the agency's expectations when they submit premarket applications for medical devices and diagnostics.
(Source: Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society, 2023-08-01)
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Congress Warns Drug Supply Chain Security Act Could Hurt Supply
A bipartisan group of 28 members of Congress is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to address drugmakers' concerns that they may not fully comply with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act when it takes effect in late November. Under DSCSA, starting on Nov. 27, all drugs must be able to be tracked electronically on the unit level, and drugs that do not comply cannot be distributed or dispensed to patients. The lawmakers expressed support for DSCSA, but are urging the FDA to ensure that DSCSA requirements do not disrupt the drug supply chain.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2023-08-03)
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AI Helps Hospitals with Their Patient Financial Aid Programs
Atlas Health boasts that it helps hospitals assist twice the number of patients with aid programs compared to manual patient assistance program searches. AI is helping to grow awareness of these financial programs and the ongoing need for collaboration among various healthcare stakeholders, said CEO Ethan Davidoff, who brought the company to the market in 2019.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2023-08-04)
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Hospital Data Breaches Twice as Likely Before, After a Merger Deal
Between 2010 and 2022, U.S. hospitals on either side of a merger deal were twice as likely to report a data breach in the year before and after close, according to a recent analysis of government and proprietary data. The peer-reviewed research, conducted by a University of Texas at Dallas doctoral student and presented at a July information security conference, found that the probability of a data breach was about six percent for buyers and sellers within the two-year deal window.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2023-08-07)
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Health Sector Added 63,000 Jobs in July, Hospitals added 16,000
The healthcare sector added 63,000 jobs, up from the average monthly gain of 51,000 jobs in the prior 12 months. Gains included 35,000 jobs in ambulatory healthcare services, 16,000 posts in hospitals, and 12,000 additions in nursing and residential care facilities.
(Source: Medical Economics, 2023-08-04)
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Amazon Expands Virtual Clinic to Reach All 50 States
Amazon's virtual care clinic has launched in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., providing access to telehealth-based care for 30 common conditions. The platform provides access to an online marketplace of telehealth provider groups, where healthcare consumers can compare response times and prices before selecting a provider.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2023-08-01)
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