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Could Managed Care Offset OK's Surge in Medicaid Spending for Emergency Room Visits?
Medicaid-financed emergency room costs statewide grew nearly $10 million to $178.3 million in fiscal year 2013.
Medicaid-financed emergency room costs statewide grew nearly $10 million to $178.3 million in fiscal year 2013.
The increase, from $169.6 million in 2012, came as SoonerCare, the state Medicaid system, expanded to cover for the first time ever more than a quarter of the state’s 3.8 million people.
Emergency room spending rose sharply in spite of a state Health Care Authority effort begun in late 2011 to curb costs by contacting and counseling frequent ER users.
“After-the-fact” intervention programs, like Oklahoma’s, have marginal or no utility, said Jonathan Small, fiscal analyst at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.
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Source: Oklahoma
Stuck in Prior Auth Purgatory: The Hidden Costs of Health Care Delays
June 19th 2025Delays, denials, and endless paperwork—prior authorization isn’t just a headache for providers; it’s a barrier for patients who need timely care, explains Colin Banas, MD, MHA, chief medical officer with DrFirst.
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Democratic Doctors Caucus Reaffirms EMTALA Amid Trump's CMS Policy Reversal on Abortion Care
June 18th 2025Democratic leaders assert the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) remains vital for emergency care, countering confusion from recent policy changes affecting abortion rights and patient safety.
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