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What We're Reading: US Health Spending Increased 5.3% in 2014
What we're reading, December 3, 2015: health spending in the US topped $3 trillion in 2014; experts debate the true impact of proposed health insurer mega-mergers; and a survey finds ICD-10 transition has been mostly without trouble.
US Health Spending Outpaced Economic Growth
After 5 years of slow growth, health spending in the US topped $3 trillion, or $9,500 per person, according to HHS. In 2014, health spending increased 5.3%, growing faster than the economy and accounting for 17.5% of the nation’s economic output, The New York Times reported. In 2013, health spending great at the lowest rate in decades at just 2.9%.
The Impact of Health Insurer Mergers
A panel of experts on the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton/SiriusXM radio channel discussed the proposed healthcare insurance mergers between Aetna and Humana, and Anthem and Cigna. The experts considered the insurers’ claims that the mergers would use economies of scale to improve healthcare quality while lowering costs and the concerns of the American Hospital Association and others that such mergers usually achieve the opposite effect.
ICD-10 Transition Has Been Mostly Smooth
A majority of healthcare organizations have made the transition to ICD-10 smoothly, but after 2 months, 11% still said they are struggling, according to a KPMG LLP survey. The largest challenge with the transition to ICD-10 have included rejected medical claims, clinical documentation and physician education, reduced revenue from coding delays, and information technology fixes.
Emily Goldberg Shares Insights as a Genetic Counselor for Breast Cancer Risk Screening
October 30th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Emily Goldberg, MS, CGC, a genetic counselor at JScreen, breaks down how genetic screening for breast cancer works and why it is so important to increase awareness and education around these screening tools available to patients who may be at risk for cancer.
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Examining Telehealth Uptake to Increase Equitable Care Access
January 26th 2023To mark the publication of The American Journal of Managed Care®’s 12th annual health IT issue, on this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Christopher M. Whaley, PhD, health care economist at the RAND Corporation, who focuses on health economics issues, including the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care delivery.
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Beyond Insulin: The Impact of Next-Generation Diabetes Technology
April 17th 2024Experts explain how new diabetes technologies like continuous glucose monitors are transforming care beyond intensive insulin therapy, offering personalized insights and improving outcomes for patients of all treatment levels.
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