Blog

Innovation in health information technology, coupled with challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, provides an opportunity for hospitals and health systems to use telemedicine to support patient care. Health care organizations can use two complementary types of telemedicine to staff shortages and keep patients away from the hospital during this public health emergency: episodic telehealth […]

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures In merely days, COVID-19 evolved from an international concern to a national emergency here in the United States. As of March 23, 2020, over 38,000 community-acquired cases have been confirmed nationwide, amidst very limited testing. Public health officials and hospital administrators across the country are on high alert, frantically […]

On March 13, 2020, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the novel coronavirus, making $50 billion available for aid. This includes a requirement for all hospitals to enact their emergency preparedness/operations plans while lifting some regulatory barriers to care delivery that might impede successful crisis response. This crisis triggers a cascade of activities […]

An influential nonprofit hospital critic, Republican Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Chuck Grassley, asked the IRS in 2019 to probe whether the hospitals are living up to their charitable obligations.1 Senator Grassley helped enact requirements included in the Affordable Care Act and set standards for nonprofit hospitals and information they’re required to disclose. Nonprofit hospitals are […]

The survey commissioned by Change Healthcare and HealthCare Executive Group and conducted by InsightDynamo provides some excellent insights. It is interesting to see where payors and providers in the study align and where they differ. Here are the key takeaways:   “Alternative payment models” is a term that applies to a broad range of reimbursement […]

Introduction Social determinants of health (SDOH) can play a major role in ensuring better health outcomes at both the individual and population level. SDOH are responsible for over 80 percent of health outcomes while clinical interventions represent only 20 percent1. While the impacts of SDOH are well known, many providers and organizations still do not […]

This is part one of a series of articles focused on FQHCs and FQHC Look-Alikes. These community health centers can play a critical role in managing population health and achieving success in value-based contracts. Many communities struggle with access to high quality primary care services for their residents with lower incomes. Language and cultural barriers […]

The State of California is “carving out” the pharmacy benefit for Medi-Cal beneficiaries from managed-care plans and transitioning to a fee-for-service (FFS) program, moving 13 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries to a new pharmacy program by January 2021. Medi-Cal is taking responsibility from the managed care organizations (MCOs) for one of the key elements of care, the […]

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has survived for a decade despite Congressional attempts to repeal it, executive orders to weaken it, and some Democratic Presidential candidates proposing to upend it in favor of a single-payer system. Despite the political rhetoric and executive actions, participating ACA individual insurers experienced a highly profitable 2019. This resulted in […]

The expiration of the Texas 1115 Waiver at the end of September 2022 is a call to action. With the uncertainty surrounding the Texas 1115 Medicaid Waiver renewal, the state’s Health and Human Services Commission may consider some of the policy and regulatory changes to the Medicaid program that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid […]