Tag: Insurance

National Academies release COVID-19 vaccine distribution proposal

Editor's Note The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, on September 1, released draft guidelines to help policymakers plan for equitable allocation of a COVID-19 vaccine. The committee that drafted the guidelines was formed at the request of the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and…

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By: Judy Mathias
September 2, 2020
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Preoperative protocols enhance outpatient total joint outcomes

On January 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began reimbursing healthcare providers for total hip arthroplasty performed in outpatient hospital settings and total knee arthroplasty in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), thereby opening the floodgates for explosive growth in outpatient total joint arthroplasty (TJA). About a million…

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By: Catherine Spader, RN
July 22, 2020
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Joint Commission revises standards to align with CMS requirements

Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced July 1 that it has made two sets of standards changes for deemed-status hospitals and critical access hospitals. The first set of changes, which went into effect July 1, was made in response to hospital deeming renewal applications with the Centers for Medicare &…

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By: Judy Mathias
July 9, 2020
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COVID-19 hospitalization costs could reach $17B this year

Editor's Note A new Avalere analysis estimates the cost of COVID-19 hospitalizations could range between $9.6 billion and nearly $17 billion this year, depending on infection and hospitalization trends, the June 23 Fierce Healthcare reports. The analysis considers the cost of hospitalizations in three scenarios: $9.6 billion, if there is…

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By: Judy Mathias
June 24, 2020
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ASC offsets some revenue loss through 'Hospital Without Walls' waiver

Far fewer cases of COVID-19 have been seen in rural areas of the US than in large urban populations. But even healthcare facilities not inundated with COVID-19 patients have sustained revenue losses and disruptions in standard procedures. One major advantage for Heartland Surgery Center in Kearney, Nebraska, was seeing the…

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By: Elizabeth Wood
June 17, 2020
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Proactive payment collection reduces bad debt risk

Establishing policies to collect payment before surgery has grown in importance as high-deductible health plans impose larger out-of-pocket costs on patients. To help manage patients’ expectations about costs and increase the likelihood of collecting payment, some experts believe a culture shift is in order. They say healthcare facilities should be…

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By: Jennifer Lubell
June 17, 2020
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Dr Gawande stepping down as Haven CEO

Editor's Note The May 8 Wall Street Journal reports that Atul Gawande, MD, is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of  Haven—the Amazon, JPMorgan, Berkshire Hathaway healthcare venture. Instead Dr Gawande will be chairman of the joint venture so he can focus more on policy and advocacy work, particularly related…

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By: Judy Mathias
May 12, 2020
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CMS issues recommendations on reopening hospitals in areas with low COVID-19 incidence

Editor's Note: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 19 issued recommendations on how hospitals and healthcare systems can protect their staff and patients as they reopen for nonemergent care. The new recommendations update earlier guidance on limiting nonessential surgical and medical procedures and are specifically targeted…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 20, 2020
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Simulation to predict hospital capacity needs during COVID-19 pandemic

Editor's Note This study from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, finds that a susceptible, infected, removed (SIR) epidemic model can be adapted to local population characteristics to inform hospital planning for epidemic-related surges in hospital capacity. Using COVID-19 patients only, the SIR model estimated that it would be 31 to…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 9, 2020
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HHS releases final interoperability rules

Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on March 9 released two interoperability rules, which will give patients direct access to their healthcare data. These rules mark the most extensive healthcare data sharing policies the federal government has implemented, requiring public and private entities to share…

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By: Judy Mathias
March 9, 2020
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