Business Intelligence

Providers utilize business intelligence to monitor referral patterns and collaborate with clinicians who order their services. Such analytics tools have also been deployed in the specialty to improve productivity, track patient satisfaction and bolster quality.

CMS pauses new Medicare hospice and home health provider entries for six months
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it’s issuing a nationwide moratorium on new providers entering the spaces until it has a chance to look into allegations of fraud, waste and abuse. It confirmed investigations of various organizations are pending.
Consolidation of physician practices proceeds apace, corporatizing medicine one acquisition at a time
The days when most doctors worked in independent practice settings are fading from memory like old photoprints in a musty scrapbook.
Investor-bought PCPs carry on like nothing much has changed—with caveats
Private-equity acquisitions of primary-care provider practices neither alter hospitalization rates nor affect acute-care outcomes, according to new research out of Brown University.
12 of the top technology vendors serving children’s hospitals
Epic makes the list with its enterprise inpatient EHR and related platforms. So does PCC, aka Physician’s Computer Company, which supplies pediatric-specific ambulatory EHR and practice-management products and services.
Weight loss drugs are hiking employer healthcare prices, with 87% saying they expect costs to only go up
In a survey, employers told the Business Group on Health that they aren’t yet seeing evidence of long-term health benefits from taking GLP-1s for weight loss, leaving them unsure how to manage costs while continuing to cover them.

DOJ settles $17M kickback case with catheter supplier

Liberator Medical Supply was accused of offering doctors kickbacks, such as discounted and free supplies, in exchange for filling prescriptions with its products.

Optum UnitedHealthcare UnitedHealth Group HQ

Number of Americans impacted by Change Healthcare breach nears 200M

The last count submitted to HHS in October pegged the number at 100 million. Now that figure sits at 190 million, and the company continues its investigation.

Medicare Advantage Part C clipboard payment

CMS drops lawsuit against UnitedHealth over Medicare Advantage star rating

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services appealed a court ruling that ordered the agency to change the star rating for UnitedHealthcare's Medicare Part D plans, which had been reduced due to a disputed phone call. CMS has now dropped the appeal.

Industry Watcher’s Digest

When Larry Ellison talks about healthcare AI, people invest. At least, that’s what happened after the Oracle chairman enthused over AI’s potential to cook up vaccines for cancer.

UnitedHealthcare taps company veteran as next CEO

Tim Noel is taking the reins of the insurance giant in the aftermath of the murder of its previous CEO, Brian Thompson. Noel has been with the company since 2007.

Report: 84% of healthcare organizations identified a data breach last year

Phishing incidents were the most common type of attack on a healthcare entity, which is consistent with what's seen across all industries.

FDA warns of risk of death associated with multiple sclerosis drugs

The agency found 82 cases of anaphylaxis associated with glatiramer acetate, sold under the brand names Copaxone and Glatopa, including 19 that emerged after patients had been taking these drugs for more than a year.

Industry Watcher’s Digest

What is Stargate and why is it here?

Business Intelligence

CMS pauses new Medicare hospice and home health provider entries for six months

Consolidation of physician practices proceeds apace, corporatizing medicine one acquisition at a time

Investor-bought PCPs carry on like nothing much has changed—with caveats

12 of the top technology vendors serving children’s hospitals

Weight loss drugs are hiking employer healthcare prices, with 87% saying they expect costs to only go up