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What We're Reading: Third ACA Enrollment Opens Smoothly
What we're reading, November 2, 2015: third open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act kicks off; common medical tests are being done inaccurately; and hospitals and the government settle over cardiac device implants.
Open Enrollment Goes Off Without a Hitch
Over the weekend, the third open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act opened without a hitch. The Washington Post reported that 40,000 applications were submitted through HealthCare.gov during the first 6 hours of operation. But it wasn’t all good news for the president’s healthcare reform: while HealthCare.gov and the state sites opened shop without incident, just days before open enrollment kicked off, yet another co-op—nonprofit, consumer-focused health plans—closed up shop.
Common Medical Tests Sometimes Inaccurate
A growing number of medical tests are being waived from oversight because they are considered so simple and accurate, but they are often being done incorrectly, reports Journal Sentinel. A spot check of facilities doing these tests found less than half were in compliance with policies in place to ensure safe, quality care.
Hospitals, Government Reach $250 Million Settlement Over Cardiac Device
The Justice Department has reached settlements totaling more than $250 million with 457 hospitals that implanted cardioverter defibrillators in violation of Medicare coverage requirements, according to Chicago Tribune. Medicare sets a waiting period up to 90 days before implanting the cardiac device, which costs $25,000, because trials have shown the heart often recovers its own rhythm without the intervention of the pricey device. The hospitals in question all implanted the device too soon.
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
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Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
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Standard Criteria for Loss of Ambulation Needed in DMD
April 19th 2024A recent study suggests the differences between ambulation definitions for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can impact the identification of ambulant vs nonambulant individuals, and standard criteria across settings are needed.
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