March 14th 2024
After years of efforts to reduce low-value care, panelists at the 2024 Value-Based Insurance Design Summit proposed a new strategy: drawing a line in the sand that payers will not be on the hook for these services.
Understanding Expansion of FSAs, HSAs to Pay for Health Care Needs
September 16th 2020A cost-saving provision made possible by the recent COVID-19 relief CARES Act now allows Americans to leverage pre-tax funds from their flexible spending arrangements [FSAs] or health savings accounts [HSAs] to purchase over-the-counter medicines and menstrual care products.
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Contributor: 4 Data Sharing “Truths” for Health Plans
September 11th 2020Karen Kobelski is the vice president and general manager of clinical surveillance, compliance & data solutions at Wolters Kluwer. She brings more than 25 years of experience to her position, which expands her previous leadership role over the Safety & Surveillance group to also include the Health Language portfolio of data normalization solutions.
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Experts Discuss How Expanding Traditional Value Frameworks Can Address Inequities in Health Outcomes
September 9th 2020Expanding traditional value frameworks to include inequality and factors that contribute to this is the first step to addressing disparities in health outcomes. Utilizing multi-criteria decision analysis and distributional cost effect analysis can assist in deriving data and subsequently acting on these issues.
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Dr Jan Berger Previews Topics Stakeholders Will Hear at MBGH Meeting
September 3rd 2020When 40th Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) Annual Conference meets this week, stakeholder groups will tackle issues within population health and precision medicine, and discuss the influence of employers on these discussions.
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How Can Employers Optimally Support Employee Caregivers?
September 2nd 2020In a webinar by the Integrated Benefits Institute, an employer panel discussed perspectives, initiatives, and challenges in their respective caregiving benefits, as well as how the current pandemic has impacted their strategies.
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How Virtual Care, Back-to-School Support, Health Inequities Are Influencing Employer Action
August 20th 2020In 2 surveys, employers identified efforts to increase availability of virtual care, support employees undertaking greater caregiving roles, and address social and health inequities as a result of the pandemic.
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How Are Employers Addressing Back-to-School, Leave-Related Concerns Amid the Pandemic?
August 8th 2020Beyond telework, some notable strategies that employers should consider when managing back-to-school and other leave related concerns among employees include child care benefits and flexible work options, said David Weisenfeld, JD, legal editor and host of a XpertHR podcast.
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Hinge Health Announces Expansion to Become the First Digital Musculoskeletal Clinic
August 5th 2020Hinge Health announced the expansion of its clinical and technical musculoskeletal (MSK) capabilities to cover the full continuum of MSK care. The move will provide the most complete back and joint health solution to employers and health plans.
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Experts Highlight COVID-19 Vaccine Developments and Remaining Challenges
August 4th 2020The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines that are leading the pack are utilizing a new vaccine technology that has never been approved for human use by the FDA. As a result, there are a lot of unknowns.
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How Can Telehealth Promote Care Coordination, Value-Based Outcomes in Cardiovascular Disease?
July 29th 2020Through GoMo Health’s partnership with the Center for Health Technology and Innovation (CHTI) at the American Heart Association (AHA), GoMo, in collaboration with the AHA, has launched the telehealth care coordination solution, known as Concierge Care, a behaviorally-based, patient-centric care solution that can lead to measurable and sustainable population health, said Patrick Dunn, program director of CHTI at the AHA, and Bob Gold, chief executive officer of GoMo Health.
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In beginning the first phase 3 clinical trial to examine a vaccine candidate for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Moderna Inc announced that the Trump administration increased funding to expand the trial to 30,000 US participants; employers have considered and some have made it a requirement for employees to sign a waiver to not sue the organization if they are infected by COVID-19 or suffered any injury while working; study finds 1 flu shot can reduce the risk for Alzheimer disease by 17% and 1 pneumonia vaccine before age 75 can reduce the risk by 25%.
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How Can Integrating Data, Population Health Optimize Employer Health Care Delivery Amid COVID-19?
July 24th 2020In addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, a more active-based approach is warranted among employers to optimize care. Through detailed databases and a greater focus on population health, Paladina Health has promoted this transition to a more informed, value-based health care delivery system, said Kirk Rosin, chief revenue officer of Paladina Health.
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In 2 midyear deals reports issued today by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), total US health services deal value and volume were down in the first half (H1) of 2020 compared with H1 2019, with overall global pharma and life sciences sectors also down in H1 2020 compared with the second half of 2019.
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Readying for Interoperability, Patient Access Compliance Amid COVID-19
July 17th 2020Karen Kobelski is the vice president and general manager of clinical surveillance, compliance & data solutions at Wolters Kluwer. She brings more than 25 years of experience to her position, which expands her previous leadership role over the Safety & Surveillance group to also include the Health Language portfolio of data normalization solutions.
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How Can Employers Safely Return Employees to the Workplace?
July 15th 2020Recognizing trends in health care that align with the COVID-19 pandemic and related racial disparities can improve the design of timely and effective strategies by employers to safely return employees to the workplace. Some of these efforts include less wait time for testing results, an improved focus on social determinants of health, and greater accessibility to care, said Lauren Vela, MBA, senior director at Pacific Business Group on Health.
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How Can Congress Optimally Address the Financial Uncertainty Impacting the US Health Industry?
July 8th 2020There are 3 key issues that, if addressed by Congress, can optimally assist medical groups and health systems dealing with financial struggles amid the pandemic. These include continued funding to the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund, reinstating the Medicare Accelerated and Advanced Payment program, and permanently lifting waivers on telehealth, said Jerry Penso, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the American Medical Group Association.
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How Are Employers Addressing Safety and Well-being Implications in Their Reopening Plans?
July 6th 2020Based on findings from our COVID-19 Reopening the Workplace Survey, employers are increasing focus on safety, enhancing well-being programs, and providing flexibility to accommodate employees who may be at-risk or may shoulder a greater caregiving responsibility, said Regina Ihrke, senior director and wellbeing leader of Willis Towers Watson in North America.
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Gilead Sciences Sets US Price for COVID-19 Drug at $2340 to $3120 Based on Insurance
June 29th 2020In the United States, Gilead Sciences set the price for remdesivir, its antiviral drug that can shorten hospitalization stays for individuals ill with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), based on insurance factors, and is allowing generic drug makers to create the drug for less in low to middle income countries.
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Humana CEO Says Health Care Will Never Be the Same, Here's Why He's Right
June 28th 2020Rita E. Numerof, PhD, is the president of Numerof & Associates, a firm that helps businesses across the healthcare sector define and implement strategies for winning in dynamic markets. For more than 25 years, she has helped executives understand the implications of an evolving healthcare market. Working with leaders in the healthcare space, she has consulted with everyone from top academic and community hospital systems, payers, and Fortune 500 pharmaceutical, device, and diagnostics companies. She is the coauthor of several books, most recently, "Bringing Value to Healthcare: Practical Steps for Getting to a Market-Based Model" (2016).
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PwC Provides 3 Spending Scenarios to Address Implications of COVID-19 on the 2021 Medical Cost Trend
June 24th 2020With the growing uncertainty of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the emergence of services such as telehealth and behavioral health, PwC's Health Research Institute provided 3 spending scenarios for employers managing the insurance market. It projects a 4% to 10% increase in the medical cost trend for 2021 based on these scenarios, said Ben Isgur, MPA, Health Research Institute leader at PwC.
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