 |
| “It is unacceptable for anyone to suffer from poor health because they can't get enough nutritious food to eat. The association between good health and healthy food is indisputable, and if we want to make our communities the healthiest in the nation, it is crucial that we connect people with the resources they need to achieve total health.” | ||
| -The late Bernard J. Tyson, Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Permanente |
| According to
Definitive Healthcare data, average net patient revenue (NPR) at
U.S. hospitals increased from $282.7 million in 2014 to $334.5
million in 2018. In the same time period, average operating
expenses (OpEx) increased from $264.2 million to $313.9 million
per year. From 2014-2015, the hospital NPR average year-to-year
change was $18.2 million; $4.2M from 2017-2018. OpEx average
year-to-year change was $14.8 million from 2014-2015, and $9.6M
from 2017-2018. Source: Definitive Healthcare, Revenue Trends at U.S. Hospitals |
|
Death of CEO Comes at a Time of Expansion, Big
Bets for Kaiser Permanente The unexpected death of Kaiser Permanente Chief Executive Bernard Tyson leaves the hospital and health-insurance giant in flux at a time of ambitious growth and it was met with shock by those who praised his work on public health and social issues. Kaiser, based in Oakland, Calif., gained heft as one of the nation’s largest hospital and health insurance systems with $83 billion in annual revenue under Mr. Tyson. He bet heavily on technology to reach more patients and set plans to expand Kaiser’s reach nationally. Wall Street Journal, November 12, 2019 Google's health care ambitions now involve patient data Google announced a partnership with a large U.S. health care system aimed at modernizing its information system and providing new tools for doctors, in the tech giant's latest foray into the health industry. Announcement of its arrangement with the Catholic health care system Ascension followed a Wall Street Journal report on Monday that Google had access to thousands of patient health records without doctors' knowledge. ABC News, November 12, 2019 Sanford Health, UnityPoint Health call off $11 billion merger Sanford Health and UnityPoint Health nixed their proposed merger that would have formed an $11 billion, 76-hospital system, the organizations said late Tuesday. Modern Healthcare, November 12, 2019 Patients feel the pain of hospital-physician consolidation Medicare beneficiaries are struggling with higher cost-sharing stemming from health systems snapping up physician practices and shifting many services to their outpatient departments, according to new federal research. Modern Healthcare, November 7, 2019 Hospitals pledge $700 million to fight economic, social disparities Fourteen of the country's largest hospital systems on Tuesday pledged to invest more than $700 million toward community-based initiatives aimed at addressing the economic and environmental drivers behind a widening disparity in health outcomes. Modern Healthcare, November 5, 2019 UPS drone makes first home prescription deliveries for CVS United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N) Flight Forward drones have flown prescription medications to the front lawn of a private home and to a retirement center, the UPS unit’s first revenue-generating deliveries for drugstore chain CVS Health Corp (CVS.N). Reuters, November 5, 2019 HealthPartners decision illustrates a trend for pharmacies: Fewer of them When HealthPartners closes 30 retail pharmacies and its mail-order pharmacy business early next year, about 300 people will lose their jobs, including 100 pharmacists. The insurer, which also runs clinics and hospitals, declined to discuss the closures. The retail pharmacy industry has been shrinking for more than a decade, starting with the closing of many independent pharmacies in rural areas. MPR, November 8, 2019 How CVS is using digital tools to boost specialty pharmacy adherence As specialty pharmacy becomes an increasing focus for cost management, CVS has deployed a number of digital tools aimed at improving adherence and patient outcomes. Fierce Healthcare, November 4, 2019 Medicaid expansion reduced preventable hospitalizations With political battles continuing over Medicaid expansion, a new study found states that expanded Medicaid saw greater reductions than non-expansion states in hospital admissions, length of stay and hospital costs for conditions that can be managed with ambulatory care. Modern Healthcare, November 4, 2019 CMS is changing how it pays doctors to coordinate care The CMS on Friday finalized rules that modify how physicians get paid for evaluation and management services and changes how the agency determines the financial rewards that doctors receive for improving healthcare quality and lowering costs. Modern Healthcare, November 1, 2019 Number of uninsured children rises for second year, tops 4 million The number of uninsured children in the U.S. increased for the second year in a row and now tops 4 million, the most since ObamaCare became law, according to a new report released Wednesday. According to the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, the number of uninsured children increased by more than 400,000 between 2016 and 2018. The Hill, October 30, 2019 Walgreens to shutter 150 in-store clinics Walgreens will shutter nearly 40% of the clinics in its stores as the drugstore chain cuts costs and shifts to other businesses it believes will draw more people through its doors. The company said Monday that it will close 150 Walgreens-run clinics by the end of the year, but it will keep open more than 200 that are run in partnership with health care providers. USA TODAY, October 28, 2019 Lyft, Uber expand reach into healthcare The nation's two ride-sharing giants are continuing their push into healthcare, announcing major expansions of their work within days of one another. Uber on Monday announced its healthcare arm plans to integrate an app into Cerner Corp.'s electronic health record system, which would allow caregivers to schedule rides for patients. Lyft last week said it is now providing covered rides for eligible Medicaid beneficiaries in Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia. Modern Healthcare, October 28, 2019 Independent hospitals hold their own on revenue growth Revenue at independent hospitals grew at a faster pace than health system-owned hospitals, suggesting that returns may be diminishing on mergers and acquisitions, new data show. Modern Healthcare, October 25, 2019 Amazon buys healthcare start-up Health Navigator Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it bought healthcare start-up Health Navigator, its second purchase in the healthcare services industry. The deal comes after the company acquired online pharmacy PillPack last year, pitting itself against drugstore chains, drug distributors and pharmacy benefit managers. Reuters, October 23, 2019 |
|
Medicaid Expansion Has Saved at Least 19,000 Lives, New
Research Finds The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) expansion of Medicaid to low-income adults is preventing thousands of premature deaths each year, a landmark study finds. It saved the lives of at least 19,200 adults aged 55 to 64 over the four-year period from 2014 to 2017. Conversely, 15,600 older adults died prematurely because of state decisions not to expand Medicaid. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, November 6, 2019 America’s Largest Health Insurer Is Giving Apartments to Homeless People In 1986, Congress enacted a law to bar hospitals from turning away patients who are unable to pay. Any hospital with an emergency room that participates in federal health programs must evaluate and stabilize every patient who comes through the door, including those who are uninsured, indigent, addicted to drugs, or mentally ill. No institution has a similar obligation to ensure that those people have a safe place to sleep. Bloomberg, November 4, 2019 Assessing Responses to Increased Provider Consolidation in Six Markets Few communities in the United States have been exempt from the recent wave of consolidation among health care providers, whether it is hospital-to-hospital mergers and acquisitions (horizontal consolidation) or hospital acquisitions of physician groups and other ambulatory service providers (vertical consolidation) Increased provider concentration has been demonstrated to lead to higher provider reimbursement rates and thus higher premiums for people with private insurance, although outcomes vary, market to market. Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, October 2019 Why North Carolina might be the most innovative health care state in America Two top Obamacare officials spent years in their Washington offices, right next door for a time, thinking about how to fix health care. Then both came to North Carolina, determined to put their ideas to the test in the real world. One runs the state Health and Human Services Department, including Medicaid. The other led the state’s dominant private insurer. Combined, they cover well over 6 million people, more than half the state. Together, they made North Carolina arguably the most innovative state in the country when it comes to improving how health care is delivered and addressing the underlying social and economic drivers, like homelessness, of poor health and high costs. Politico, October 24, 2019 |
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Transforming Health with SDOH Coding
eHealth Initiative via YouTube: Using ICD-10 CM
codes to capture social determinants of health (SDOH) data is an
incredible opportunity to identify, document, and track factors
impacting health, such as employment, food insecurity, and
homelessness. |
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Check out
HealthshareTV, the
home for health care videos |
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Seven Study Findings on the
Effects of Medicaid Expansion 1. Large increases in prescriptions filled for heart disease, diabetes, mental health conditions, and other chronic conditions. 2. Large increases in the share of low-income adults getting regular check-ups and other preventive care, and large decreases in the share without a personal physician or usual source of care. 3. Large decreases in the share of low-income adults skipping medications due to cost. 4. Decreases in the share of low-income adults screening positive for depression. 5. An increase in the share of people getting surgical care consistent with clinical guidelines, for example less invasive surgical techniques where feasible. 6. Increases in cancer screenings and early-stage cancer diagnoses. 7. A decrease in one-year mortality rates for patients diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. Source: Medicaid Expansion Has Saved at Least 19,000 Lives, New Research Finds Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, November 6, 2019 |
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