The headline on 08 May 2020
UnitedHealth Group said that it will make more than $1.5 billion available in financial assistance to its members, including premium credits. Here’s how they’re doing it. Source: UnitedHealth Group to Provide Over $1.5 Billion in Assistance and Premium Support to Customers
CMS finalized annual regulations governing the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
The Trump administration released a rundown of the initial funding allocations among health systems and hospitals from an initial tranche of relief funding for COVID-19 divvied out over the last several weeks.
The headline on 07 May 2020
On the company’s first-quarter earnings call, CEO Larry Merlo said CVS Health has seen a significant spike in telehealth and home prescription delivery use due to COVID-19.
Blue states have launched the first salvo in the looming battle over the Affordable Care Act before the Supreme Court.
COVID-19 could cost hospitals more than $200 billion by the end of June, and things don’t look that good afterwards, according to a new analysis.
CMS has boosted payment for telehealth visits, but physician groups are concerned about whether doctors will get paid adequately for treating patients with complex health needs.
The headline on 06 May 2020
CVS released its first-quarter earnings report Wednesday, where it reported $2 billion in profit for the quarter. Read on for more on the healthcare giant’s financial performance.
Humana announced it plans to waive all cost-sharing for primary care and behavioral health care visits through the end of the year for its Medicare Advantage members. Source: Humana to Waive Member Costs for all Primary Care and Behavioral Health Office Visits for Medicare Advantage Members, Delivers Safety Kits to Members
Fitbit is working to chase down Apple when its comes to healthcare ambitions for its wearable with the launch of a new study. Find out what Fitbit co-founder Eric Friedman had to say about the wearable giant’s sweeping new heart study and its broader healthcare ambitions. Source: Fitbit Hearth Study
Security authorities in the U.S. and U.K. issued an alert that nation-state hackers are attacking healthcare organizations to steal COVID-19-related research. Cybersecurity authorities in the U.S. and U.K. are warning that nation-state hackers are attacking healthcare policymakers and medical research organizations to steal information about efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
The headline on 05 May 2020
Despite taking major financial hits from COVID-19 pandemic in Q1 earnings, Tenet Healthcare officials reported a $94 million profit and said they are shifting their focus to “a comprehensive recovery effort.”
The University of California’s (UC’s) hospital system is the latest to explore how to safely restart procedures that are vital to hospitals’ bottom line.
A huge drop in healthcare spending was the key driver behind a decline in GDP during the first quarter.
A new guidebook from the Business Group on Health highlights the strategies multinational employers are trying to improve their workers’ mental health.
The headline on 04 May 2020
Providers scored a number of big wins in CMS’ flurry of regulatory updates on Thursday, although they still have plenty of asks.
While plenty of sectors have been hit hard financially by COVID-19, that doesn’t mean the deals for health startups have dried up. Here’s a look at where the money is going. COVID-19 dampened technology investment with digital health deals and dollars sliding in Q1 2020, but there are sectors that saw funding boosts. Source: Research Report > State Of Healthcare Q1’20 Report: Investment & Sector Trends To Watch
The headline on 01 May 2020
Molina Healthcare announced that it will purchase Magellan Complete Care and enter into several other customer agreements with Magellan Health alongside its Q1 earnings. Source: Molina Healthcare to Acquire Magellan Complete Care
CMS unveiled a slew of regulatory changes aimed at COVID-19 on Thursday, including updates to requirements to administer tests and higher payments to providers for telephonic visits. Source: CMS.gov > Trump Administration Issues Second Round of Sweeping Changes to Support U.S. Healthcare System During COVID-19 Pandemic
Cigna CEO David Cordani said he expects the coronavirus pandemic to accelerate innovation in the healthcare industry. Source: Cigna Continues to Lead Response to COVID-19 and Delivers Strong First Quarter 2020 Results
Executives with multiple health systems said they are getting closer to restarting the elective surgical procedures that are so vital to hospitals’ financial bottom line. Source: OPENING UP AMERICA AGAIN – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Recommendations Re-opening Facilities to Provide Non-emergent Non-COVID-19 Healthcare: Phase I
Starting today, a regulation spurring healthcare interoperability will officially get published in the Federal Register, and the clock will begin ticking for hospitals and vendors to meet the new requirements. Source: ONC’s Cures Act Final Rule
Alex Lim
Alex Lim is a certified IT Technical Support Architect with over 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and troubleshooting complex IT systems and networks. He has worked for leading IT companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco, providing technical support and solutions to clients across various industries and sectors. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and a master’s degree in information security from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of several best-selling books on IT technical support, such as The IT Technical Support Handbook and Troubleshooting IT Systems and Networks. Alex lives in Bandar, Johore, Malaysia with his wife and two chilrdren. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Website | Twitter | Facebook
