Last month, CMS issued a proposed update to the hospice wage index that would impose base pay reductions on hospice care providers who fail to meet Medicare reporting requirements intended to increase transparency. Under the proposed rule, CMS would analyze hospice care utilization, including Medicare spending, services outside of the hospice benefit, and claims data, … Read more
SelectHealth announced an agreement with the University of Utah Health (U of U) earlier this month which adds U of U hospitals, clinics, and providers into the SelectHealth Medicare Advantage network. The agreement aims to meet the growing demand for services among SelectHealth Medicare Advantage members and will be effective July 1st, 2022. … Read more
The most recent consumer price index (CPI) release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that the rate of annual inflation from March 2021 to March 2022 was 8.5 percent — the highest in four decades. If such rapid price escalation persists for an extended period, it will have broad implications for many federal … Read more
This month’s newsletter includes a conversation with one of Colorado’s leading health policy voices, Lt. Gov. Primavera, about behavioral health, reducing health care costs, and taking a multi-siloed approach to health policy making. We also feature an update on key health legislation moving through the legislature, recent action regarding Colorado’s Hospital Transfer Center, and HCPF … Read more
Medicare-directed managed care has come a long way in four decades. What began in 1985 as a limited option available only in select markets—it was initially known as “HMO risk contracting”—has evolved into Medicare Advantage (MA), which is a major book of business for much of the private health insurance industry. Three recent reports, along … Read more