Do “Narrow Networks” Jeopardize Care?
They may if they serve Medicaid patients. Or so suggests a new Health Affairs report. As growing numbers of Medicaid managed care plans reduce their provider networks as a means of managing costs, provider turnover appears to be growing. According [...]
Study Raises Questions About Progress Toward Reducing Readmissions
A new study suggests that the reduction in hospital readmissions of recent years may not be as meaningful a reflection of improved quality of care as some observers believe. According to a new study published in the New England Journal [...]
CMS Introduces Medicaid “Scorecard”
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has unveiled a “scorecard” through which interested parties will be able to monitor outcomes for state Medicaid programs, state CHIP programs, and CMS itself while also comparing the performance of states to one [...]
S&P: 340B Cuts Will Hurt
Payment cuts in the 340B prescription drug program will most likely hurt hospital financial performance, and among those most likely to be hurt are DSH hospitals, small hospitals, and rural hospitals. These are among the conclusions in a report recently [...]
Hospitals, Others Oppose Easing Medicaid Access Requirements
Hospital groups and other health care interest organizations have expressed strong opposition to a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposal to ease requirements that states ensure adequate access to care for their Medicaid population. Under current federal Medicaid law, [...]
The 340B Issue Explained
The section 340B prescription drug discount program has grown increasingly controversial in recent years. The program, established in the 1990s to help hospitals with the cost of the prescription drugs they provide to low-income patients on an outpatient basis, has [...]
HHS Unveils Spring Regulatory Agenda
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published a comprehensive list of the regulatory actions it plans to take in the coming months. Included on the list are regulations that have been proposed, that are being finalized, and [...]
Helping Safety-Net Hospitals Help Their Patients
A new report published on the Health Affairs Blog describes the continuing challenges safety-net hospitals face and offers suggestions for helping them meet those challenges. The challenges, according to the report, are the virtual elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s [...]
A Look at Medicaid Managed Care
With 74 million people enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans – roughly 71 percent of the U.S. Medicaid population – the Health Affairs Blog has taken a broad look at Medicaid managed care, addressing the question of how it works, [...]
CMS Rejects Bid to Impose Lifetime Limit on Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has denied a request from the state of Kansas to impose a lifetime limit on the Medicaid benefits individuals may receive. In a move that the agency appeared to signal last week and [...]
