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Denying Access to Big Cancer Centers May Undermine Narrow Networks
Patient access to some of the nation's best-known cancer-care centers could become a flashpoint in the simmering controversy surrounding the narrow networks being constructed by some insurers and healthcare providers.
Patient access to some of the nation's best-known cancer-care centers could become a flashpoint in the simmering controversy surrounding the narrow networks being constructed by some insurers and healthcare providers.
In their efforts to hold down premiums on the new insurance exchanges, many plans have excluded some or all of the nation's most prestigious cancer centers from their provider networks. An Associated Press survey last month of 19 of the 25 institutions affiliated with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, which writes clinical practice guidelines and whose members conduct cutting-edge research, identified at least 13 centers facing exclusion from a “significant” number of plans.
Only four reported that every insurer included them as a network provider. Even that group reported they were sometimes excluded from low-cost plans.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/1lFGwL7
Source: Modern Healthcare
Health Care Utilization and Cost of Diagnostic Testing for Respiratory Infections
September 17th 2025Syndromic reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction tests for respiratory infections were associated with lower health care resource utilization and costs, implicating potential for improved value in patient care.
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AI in Health Care: Balancing Governance, Innovation, and Trust
September 2nd 2025In this conversation with Reuben Daniel, associate vice president of artificial intelligence at UPMC Health Plan, we dive into how UPMC Health Plan builds trust with providers and members, discuss challenges of scaling AI effectively, and hear about concrete examples of AI's positive impact.
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Infertility Coverage Boosts ART Use and Pregnancy Success: Richard A. Brook, MS, MBA
August 26th 2025In this episode, Richard A. Brook, MS, MBA, discusses his study showing that infertility treatment coverage increases assisted reproductive technology (ART) use and improves pregnancy outcomes.
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