Editor’s Picks

NFPs Beat For-profit Insurers in Medicare Advantage Star Ratings, Again

Not-for-profit insurers are dominating the MA star ratings because they are able to focus more directly on their communities rather than on their shareholders, says the CEO of one highly rated NFP. >>>

Medical Loss Ratios Tighten Under PPACA

Carriers didn’t anticipate the volume of claims they saw after the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. >>>

3 Facts Employers Should Know About the PPACA

The healthcare reform law is a source of confusion around insuring diverse populations of hospital employees, making compliance complicated—unless you understand three things. >>>

Meaningful Use Rules Give CIOs Wiggle Room

Meeting the new federal meaningful use standards will require much heavy lifting. And health IT leaders should already be preparing for what comes next. >>>

NJ Bundled Payment Approach Better for Physicians than Mandatory Federal Program

New Jersey’s Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate is taking a cooperative approach to episodes-of-care contracting with orthopedic surgeons and other medical service lines, generating care benefits for patients and sustainable financing for healthcare providers. >>>

Value-based Purchasing Program has Minor Effect on Medicare Payments

The GAO finds that incentives and penalties amounted to less than 0.5% of applicable Medicare payments at the approximately 3,000 eligible hospitals. The percentages having been rising, however, since the program began. >>>

HLM Live: The Care Management ACO

Leaders at Memorial Hermann have developed an accountable care organization that combines care coordination and physician alignment to drive savings. >>>

News Headlines

Veterans still facing major medical delays at VA hospitals

CNN, October 21, 2015

FL Gov. invites examples of hospital price-gouging

The Palm Beach Post, October 21, 2015

Collective Health, insurance services start-up focused on employers, raises $ 81 million

The New York Times, October 21, 2015

TeamHealth to AmSurg: Leave us alone (and take your puny $ 7.8B offer with you)

Nashville Business Journal, October 21, 2015

Aetna shareholders OK $ 37 billion Humana deal

The Courier-Journal, October 20, 2015

Visits to the doctor cost more as hospitals buy practices

The Boston Globe, October 20, 2015

Outpatient medical care prices are rising, study shows

The Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2015

‘HIPAA not helping’: Healthcare’s software security lagging

InformationWeek, October 20, 2015

Employers offer cash to rein in healthcare costs

Longview News-Journal, October 19, 2015

Insurance start-up Oscar seeks to shake up healthcare through its app

Los Angeles Times, October 19, 2015

Stay Connected to HealthLeaders

Don’t Miss the News You Want.

Spam filters exist for a reason, but not for the news you need. Make sure you aren’t missing your daily and/or weekly industry coverage. Add our address — [email protected] — to your address book or e-mail whitelist to keep the news you need in your inbox.

Is All of Your Leadership Team In The Know?

Our award-winning Daily News & Analysis e-newsletter can keep your leadership team abreast of relevant breaking news, and with in-depth industry coverage through 10 weekly e-newsletters that hit every pillar of healthcare, we’ve got your whole leadership team covered. Subscribe to any — or all — of our e-newsletters.

Multimedia/Events

From HealthLeaders Magazine

Sponsor this Newsletter

For advertising opportunities in this or other HealthLeaders Media email newsletters, please contact [email protected] or call 800.639.7477.