Insurance

Under pressure from the industry and Congress, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is withdrawing several proposed changes to the Medicare drug program, but still charging ahead with others that could prove disruptive.

Prescription records show that as use of opioids like OxyContin and Vicodin soared in the 2000s, so did the use of "benzos" such as Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan, as opioid users discovered tranquilizers could enhance "the high."

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other population health initiatives cannot succeed without health information being able to flow between healthcare organizations and providers.

A Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposal would remove a number of prescription drug classes from Medicare Part D drug plans, while also limiting the number of plans insurers could offer to seniors.

he lower chamber is expected to vote on legislation that would permanently repeal Medicare's sustainable growth-rate formula for physician payment, which might also include a provision to either repeal or delay the ACA's individual insurance mandate as a way to pay for the SGR fix.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), in his first speech as the new chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, said it's important for Congress to pass legislation that would permanently repeal Medicare's contentious physician payment formula, but did not say how lawmakers intend to pay for it.

Open enrollment for the 2014 state and federal health insurance exchanges will end this month, but various findings contest their anticipated success.

President Barack Obama is proposing more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare over the next decade in his fiscal 2015 budget, an almost identical amount to what he recommended last year. But those cuts are heavily weighted toward future years, with only $3.5 billion occurring in 2015.

More than 400 accountable care organizations (ACOs) exist across the country, and physician groups have overtaken hospitals as the largest backers of ACOs.

'In order to get technology to truly work for physicians, it must drive productivity'

It's one of the most impressive statistics about the new health care law. The Obama administration says more than 8.9 million people have been, quote determined eligible for Medicaid from Oct. 1 through the end of January.

When it comes managing the long-term care of dual eligibles, many health systems are looking toward managed long-term supports and services (MLTSS). Unlike traditional Medicare and Medicaid, MLTSS would expand managed healthcare medical services to include personal support and other assistance.

Although highly touted, the patient-centered medical home model failed to lower use of services or total costs and produced little quality improvement over three years, research has found.

Doctors and other health providers wrote about 11 million fewer prescriptions for narcotic painkillers in 2013 than in 2012, but some experts expected a bigger drop-off given the brighter spotlight on the nation's opioid epidemic.

Laura Beerman, director, customer segment analysis, Decision Resources Group, presented a discussion that highlighted the early results of accountable care organizations (ACOs). She said that while the Pioneer ACOs created a large initial buzz, their cost savings has varied widely.

Raulo S. Frear, PharmD, general manager, OmedaRx, says pharmacy benefit managers are aligning benefit designs for delivery system reform in a few ways. With respect to the delivery system reform, if you look at ACOs as a specific example, our experience has been that the ACOs are not really ready to talk about different benefit designs, Dr Frear says. They're still learning what it means to accept risk and that means risk across a lot more areas than just pharmaceuticals.

Session highlights from the Managed Markets Summit in Orlando, FL, February 25-27.

Neil Minkoff, MD, CEO, FountainHead HealthCare, discusses the impact that formulary has on both employer and consumer choice in the health insurance exchanges.

Laurie Wesolowicz, PharmD, director, pharmacy services clinical, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), says that clinical evidence and other factors can drive formulary decision-making. Evidence can influence the value and coverage recommendations for drugs covered under the pharmacy (formulary) and medical benefits.

A pharmacist-led Medicare Medication Therapy Management program can improve clinical outcomes in Medicare beneficiaries without an increase in medication costs.

CMS intends to implement a 1.9% rate reduction in payment rates for Medicare Advantage plans in 2015. Some payers fear that number may increase as fees associated with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as other policy changes, also begin to impact physician reimbursement.

In a rare display of bipartisanship, key committees of both houses of Congress are backing legislation that would permanently erase the sustainable growth-rate formula, a poorly thought out payment reform measure that for more than a decade dictated sharp cuts in Medicare physician pay.

Medicare is proposing a small cut in Medicare Advantage rates for 2015, less than half of what private insurers were expecting from the federal agency. The final rule will be released April 7.

Decreased out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs accounts for reduced financial burden of care to patients, and is consistent with improved access to care.

The CMS will offer end-to-end testing of Medicare claims using the ICD-10 diagnostic and procedure codes, an attempt to deliver much sought-after assurances that its contractors will be prepared for the Oct. 1 implementation date.

How Can Molecular Diagnostic Companies Show Value if Insurers Won't Pay?

To improve care, policy analysts and health leaders recommend there be fewer and narrower quality measures.

In response to a request for comment issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on its proposed Quality Strategy, the American Hospital Association is calling for more significant alignment of its quality measurement activities in order to reduce the burden on hospitals and providers.

Oncology clinical pathways have helped health plans deliver quality care while keeping an eye on costs. The lack of standardization in pathways can be cumbersome on a busy oncology practice. If Medicare adopts a pathways model, it could offer a framework for broader use.