Navitus 2022 Drug Trend Report
Its been many years since I posted news of a PBM Drug Trend Report. Once upon a time, PBM drug trend reports contained lots of interesting information. However, over time (in 2021, for example, when reports from the preceding year were published), CVS Caremark published only a bare-bones summary, while Prime Therapeutics, MedImpact, and other large PBMs all completelystopped publishing drug trend reports. The reason is basically because its becoming harder and harder for PBMs to present themselves as saving money when the biggest PBMs aren ' t saving any entities any money on prescription drugs anymore (I...
Source: Scott's Web Log - July 5, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2022 2023 Drug Trend Report Navitus Navitus Health Solutions PBM Source Type: blogs
Bonus Features – July 2, 2023 – Nuance and Epic integrate, 5 in 6 physicians say telemedicine improves continuity of care, news from HFMA, and more
This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.
News and Research
HHS and the Office of Inspector General released the final rule implementing information blocking penalties, with fines of up to $1 million per violation for vendors and HIE entities. Penalties for providers h...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - July 2, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Brian Eastwood Tags: Health IT Company Healthcare IT Revenue Cycle Management Adam Boehler Asimily Avalon Healthcare Solutions Black Book Cotiviti DAX Express Dennis E. Dahlen DexCare Double Black Imaging Doximity eClinicalWorks eCW Epic Evelyn Source Type: blogs
What Are The Current Regulatory Changes And Compliance Requirements That ASCs Need To Be Aware Of In Their Billing Practices?
The following is a guest article by Isaac Smith, Billing, Coding, and Reimbursement Specialist at Medcare MSO
ASCs are types of medical facilities that are subject to stringent regulations. Each ASC is responsible for ensuring that they are in compliance with the numerous statutes and regulations that are in place at both the state and federal levels. These laws regulate everything pertaining to ASCs, from their day-to-day operations to the manner in which they are compensated.
ASCs must stay current on healthcare regulations that affect billing. New CMS and AMA guidelines, coding changes, and reimbursement methods have be...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - June 29, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Guest Author Tags: Administration Ambulatory Healthcare IT Regulations Revenue Cycle Management AMA ASC ASC Billing ASCs Regulatory Changes CMS Conditions for Coverage CPT Emergency Preparedness HOPD ICD-10-CM Isaac Smith Medcare MSO Medica Source Type: blogs
Moral Injury: A Physician ’s Premature Retirement
Calder Wedding
BY HAYWARD ZWERLING
Synopsis:
After a 3 decade career in a solo private practice the healthcare environment shifted
As an employed physician, my institution’s policies hindered my ability to care for my patients
The consequent moral injury left me unwilling to re-engage with the healthcare industry
I retired early from the profession that I loved because the devolution of the healthcare system had made it impossible for me to provide care to my patients in a manner which met my own standards. The resultant “moral injury” left me leary of again becoming involved with our healthcar...
Source: The Health Care Blog - June 28, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Medical Practice Hayward Zwerling moral injury Premature Retirement Source Type: blogs
Featured Health IT Job: Procurement Coordinator
We like to regularly feature a healthcare IT job that might be of interest to readers. Today, we’re featuring the Procurement Coordinator position that was recently posted on Healthcare IT Central. This position was posted by New York eHealth Collaborative and is a hybrid position requiring one day a week in the Albany, New York office.
Here’s a description of the position:
New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) is a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with the New York State Department of Health to improve healthcare by collaboratively leading, connecting, and integrating health information exc...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - June 28, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Health IT Jobs Tags: Career and Jobs Healthcare IT Health IT Jobs Health IT Procurement Healthcare IT Jobs Job Seekers New York eHealth Collaborative New York Health IT Jobs NYeC Procurement Coordinator Source Type: blogs
The fight for reinstatement: Advocating for early opportunities for excluded health care professionals battling opioid use disorder
I’ll begin by saying that I have a diagnosis of opioid use disorder (OUD) secondary to PTSD. I began diverting Norco from a pharmacy with which my hospice company had a contract. At the time, I had access to various narcotics as an RN case manager, which was quite concerning. This environment became a breeding
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The fight for reinstatement: Advocating for early opportunities for excluded health care professionals battling opioid use disorder originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 28, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Chris Kyzar, RN Tags: Policy Nursing Source Type: blogs
Cracking the code of physician contracts: Mastering letters of intent [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join us for an insightful podcast episode featuring Dennis Hursh, a veteran attorney with over 40 years of experience in health law. Discover the importance of letters of intent in physician contracts, their purpose, and the legal implications involved. Gain valuable advice on negotiating
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Cracking the code of physician contracts: Mastering letters of intent [PODCAST] originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 22, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: The Podcast by KevinMD Tags: Podcast Practice Management Source Type: blogs
Pump Up the Potassium
The element potassium plays a pivotal role in our bodies. It’s found in all our cells, where it regulates their volume and pressure. To do this, our bodies carefully control potassium levels so that the concentration is about 30 times higher inside cells than outside. Potassium works closely with sodium, which regulates the extracellular fluid volume and has a higher concentration outside cells than inside. These concentration differences create an electrochemical gradient, or a membrane potential.
Potassium is the primary regulator of the pressure and volume inside cells, and it’s important for nerve transmiss...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - June 21, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Molecular Structures Cellular Processes Element Proteins Source Type: blogs
What happens when Rx price bubbles (such as on insulin) burst?
In the first half of 2023, Americans witnessed evidence of a rather fundamental shift in the manner pharma had traditionally opted to commercialize selected prescription drugs. Specifically, in March 2023,Lilly,Novo Nordisk andSanofi each announced they planned to slash insulin list prices for insulin. To do so, they would disintermediate PBMs from the transaction and " opt out " of the PBM commercialization channel.The decision wasn ' t really all that difficult; for years branded insulin-makers had been complaining that PBMs and other drug distribution system entities had been gobbling up an ever-larger share of their re...
Source: Scott's Web Log - June 19, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 Source Type: blogs
Charting Some of Industrial Policy ’s Opportunity Costs
Adam N. Michel andScott LincicomeIn the last few years, Congress has authorized as much as $2.1 trillion in domestic subsidies for preferred industries such as steel, semiconductors, and electric vehicles —a flood of taxpayer cash that supporters havecheered for boosting U.S. manufacturing and the economy more broadly. As Cato scholarsandothers havelongcautioned, however, a proper assessment of industrial policies’ efficacy requires considering far more than a simple correlation between new government spending and new private investments, jobs, and products. Among the necessary considerations is the spending’s opp...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - June 8, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: Adam N. Michel, Scott Lincicome Source Type: blogs
Physician employment contracts: the key to fighting burnout and improving working conditions [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join us on this insightful podcast episode as we delve into the pressing issue of physician burnout and the challenges physicians face in their careers. Our guest, Dennis Hursh, a veteran attorney with over 40 years of experience in health law, sheds light on
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Physician employment contracts: the key to fighting burnout and improving working conditions [PODCAST] originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 7, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: The Podcast by KevinMD Tags: Podcast Practice Management Source Type: blogs
Not Indentured: Most H ‑1Bs Starting Jobs in 2022 Switched U.S. Employers
David J. BierCritics of the H ‑1B visa for skilled foreign workers often claim that the status amounts to “indentured” servitude. Indentured servitudeis a contract to work for a single employer for a predetermined periodwithout pay. H ‑1B workers are not only paid—they receive wagesin the top 10 percent of wage earners in the United States. As importantly, although they face more obstacles to changing jobs, H ‑1B workers are not tied to a single employer, and they change jobs regularly.In fact, H ‑1B workers are leaving their initial H‑1B employers more than ever. Figure 1 shows the number of H‑1B ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - June 7, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: David J. Bier Source Type: blogs
Awareness is Key: Educating Executives on Cybersecurity Risks in Healthcare
The following is a guest article by Anis Trabelsi, Chief Information Officer at Palomar Health
As the Chief Information Officer at Palomar Health, the largest healthcare district in California, I believe it is crucial to strike a balance between technology, cybersecurity, and business needs. Historically, healthcare organizations are known for their focus on technology and innovation. However, the proliferation of electronic health records, the interconnectivity of medical devices, and the rise of telehealth has made healthcare systems more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. According to a recent study, 89% of healthcare organiz...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - June 5, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Guest Author Tags: C-Suite Leadership EMR-EHR Healthcare IT Hospital - Health System Security and Privacy Anis Trabelsi Cyber Attacks Cybersecurity Cybersecurity Initiatives Cybersecurity Risks Electronic Health Records Healthcare Security Threats Im Source Type: blogs
Aspirion Announces Acquisition of FIRM Revenue Cycle Management Services, Inc.
Aspirion, a leading technology-enabled healthcare revenue cycle management (RCM) provider for complex claims and revenue integrity, announced today that it has acquired FIRM Revenue Cycle Management Services, Inc. (FIRM RCM), a trusted partner to hospital systems in the recovery of denied, unpaid, and underpaid medical insurance claims. As part of the announcement, the FIRM RCM team will continue to be led by Nancy Momcilovic. Simultaneously, Joseph Cook, Principal, will retire from active management following the completion of the acquisition. The acquisition closed on May 18, 2023.
“We are thrilled to welcome FIR...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - June 5, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Healthcare IT News Tags: Health IT Company Healthcare IT Amy Amick Aspirion FIRM RCM FIRM Revenue Cycle Management Services Inc. Health IT Acquisitions Healthcare M&A Joseph Cook Nancy Momcilovic Richard Thomas Source Type: blogs
Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout
Hospitals have the duty to ensure that their physicians are professionally content, both physically and mentally to provide the highest quality of care. But they also have a responsibility to prevent physicians from leaving work for competing institutions. The paradox between the use of restrictive covenants in physicians’ contracts and hospitals’ concerns about physician wellness
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Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 5, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Raya E. Kheirbek, MD Tags: Physician Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs
