| “The majority [of primary care doctors] are hanging in there, so we haven’t yet seen the scope of closures we forecast. But the situation is still precarious, with many doctors struggling to make ends meet. We’re also hearing more anecdotal stories about older doctors retiring and others looking to sell their practices.” | ||
| -Jack Westfall, Researcher, American Academy of Family Physicians |
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Among the 26 states with June 1, 2020 enrollment data, total
Medicaid enrollment rose by 1.7 million people. This figure
rises to 2.3 million when the March 1–May 1 enrollment changes
for seven additional states is included. All states reported
increases in total Medicaid enrollment over the three-month
period from the beginning of March to the beginning of June.
Kentucky saw the largest increase in per capita Medicaid
enrollment, adding 348.9 new people per 10,000 non-elderly
residents. Indiana had the next largest per capita increase at
204.4 new enrollees per 10,000. Among the non-expansion states,
Florida had the largest increase in this measure, adding 175.0
new enrollees per 10,000. Source: Health Affairs, COVID-19 Has Increased Medicaid Enrollment, But Short-Term Enrollment Changes Are Unrelated To Job Losses |
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Six States Shifting to
State-Run Insurance Exchanges 1. New Jersey - Planned Fall 2020 2. Pennsylvania - Planned Fall 2020 3. Kentucky - Planned Fall 2021 4. Maine - Planned Fall 2021 5. New Mexico - Planned Fall 2021 6. Virginia - Possibly 2022 or 2023 Source: Kaiser Health News - ‘Pennie’-Pinching States Take Over Obamacare Exchanges From Feds |
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Five Numbers That Could Reform Healthcare
With over 40 years of health care and management
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at TEDxTraverseCity 2020. |
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Larger hospital, physician systems didn't lead to better
quality, study found Large systems of hospitals and physician offices were generally not associated with better quality, a new study found. The study, published Friday in the journal Health Affairs, touches on the impact of increased consolidation among physician offices and hospitals that has occurred in recent years. Researchers measured how large, interconnected systems fared on nine quality measures that included whether the systems adopted payment reforms. FierceHealthcare, August 17, 2020 How To Ensure COVID-19 Doesn’t Delay Value-Based Care The prognosis of COVID-19 on the US health care system may include yet another devastating outcome: delaying its transition to value-based care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has stopped accepting applications for new accountable care organizations (ACOs) in 2021. Furthermore, it has amended quality reporting requirements for ACOs, reduced their downside risk, and excluded costs attributed to COVID-19 from shared savings calculations. Health Affairs, August 11, 2020 John Muir Health CFO Addresses Financial Stability Among Second COVID Surge John Muir Health, like the rest of California, has been dealing with a recent surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in recent weeks. The rise in cases of patients infected with the disease that has killed more than 150,000 Americans comes after the state faced an initial surge during late March and early April. HealthLeaders, August 6, 2020 How US News' top 10 hospitals are addressing health disparities The COVID-19 pandemic and deaths of Black Americans such as George Floyd have spurred many health systems to take increased focus on addressing systemic racism and health disparities. As a result, organizations are implementing various initiatives, from outreach programs to education to recruiting a chief diversity officer. Becker's, August 4, 2020 |
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‘Pennie’-Pinching States Take Over Obamacare
Exchanges From Feds Pennsylvania is rolling out its new “Pennie” this fall: a state-run insurance exchange that officials say will save residents collectively millions of dollars on next year’s health plan premiums. Since the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces opened for enrollment in fall 2013, Pennsylvania, like most states, has used the federal www.healthcare.gov website for people buying coverage on their own. Kaiser Health News, August 17, 2020 Battle looms over Biden health care plan if Democrats win big A battle within the Democratic Party is looming on health care if presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wins and the Senate flips. The Hill, August 15, 2020 Health care industry launches new ads against public option for convention A coalition of major health care industry groups unveiled new ads on Friday against a public option for health insurance, an idea backed by presumptive nominee Joe Biden, that will run during the coming party conventions and into the fall. The Hill, August 14, 2020 COVID Data Failures Create Pressure for Public Health System Overhaul After terrorists slammed a plane into the Pentagon on 9/11, ambulances rushed scores of the injured to community hospitals, but only three of the patients were taken to specialized trauma wards. The reason: The hospitals and ambulances had no real-time information-sharing system. Nineteen years later, there is still no national data network that enables the health system to respond effectively to disasters and disease outbreaks. California Healthline, August 14, 2020 Primary Care Doctors Look at Payment Overhaul After Pandemic Disruption For Dr. Gabe Charbonneau, a primary care doctor in Stevensville, Montana, the coronavirus pandemic is an existential threat. Charbonneau, 43, his two partners and 10 staff members are struggling to keep their rural practice alive. Patient volume is slowly returning to pre-COVID levels. But the large Seattle-area company that owns his practice is reassessing its operations as it adjusts to the new reality in health care. Kaiser Health News, August 12, 2020 CMS Unveils Initiative to Transform Rural Health The Trump Administration has unveiled a two-track pilot program that will provide $75 million in "up-front funding" for 15 rural communities to transform their care delivery models. The volunteer Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model will pick 15 rural communities for its Community Transformation Track, which begins next summer. HealthLeaders, August 12, 2020 Telemedicine shines during pandemic but will glow fade? Racked with anxiety, Lauren Shell needed to talk to her cancer doctor. But she lives at least an hour away and it was the middle of her workday. It was also the middle of a pandemic. Enter telemedicine. AP, August 10, 2020 Opioid deaths are surging in the pandemic. Here’s how treatment is adapting Looking out of her office window, Sally Thoren, an administrator at an addiction treatment center in Chicago, can see what’s known as the “heroin highway,” a major expressway along which runs an illegal drug market. To Thoren, it’s a constant reminder that the opioid crisis never lets up, even during a global pandemic. PBS, August 7, 2020 Missouri voters latest to approve Medicaid expansion Missouri voters on Tuesday approved Medicaid expansion to many of the state’s poorest adults, making their conservative state the second to join the Obamacare program through the ballot during the pandemic. Politico, August 5, 2020 |
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