News Room

On September 8th, 2015, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the proposed rule for the 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. In the letter, ...
Two years ago, leaders of the Buckeye Community Health Plan decided to take action after noting an increasing number of babies in Ohio being born with symptoms that included seizures, rapid breathing and vomiting. They were suffering from...
On April 16, 2015 President Barack Obama signed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) which, among other things, finally repeals the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) mechanism of updating fees to the Physician Fee Schedule...
Across the United States health care system, there is a growing imperative to deliver more patient-centered care. Listening to the voice of the patient is increasingly recognized as an essential part of this transformation. Health care is...
In what has long been an annual endeavor, the AAFP once again has meticulously researched CMS' recommendations for the Medicare physician fee schedule for the coming year and sought ways to improve the proposal in family physicians' favor...
More than 1,100 Georgia pediatricians have joined a new physician-led network that aims to improve quality of care and eventually contract for payments from insurers. The sign-ups represent roughly one-third of the pediatricians...
Telemedicine is about reaching out to patients in remote locations, but limited to videoconferencing between patients and health providers. It is similar to a face-to-face service with the exception that the patient and primary care...
For the second year, the CMS has awarded bonuses to 1 in 4 accountable care organizations working under a Medicare model intended to spur providers to deliver lower-cost care. They will share $422 million out of the $833 million they...
Until this year, it was impossible for healthcare consumers in North Carolina to find out the average out-of-pocket cost for medical and surgical procedures. But in January, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina unexpectedly...
It won’t be the new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) that’ll attract most doctors under the so-called “doc fix” law that replaced Medicare’s notorious sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, an official with a physician managed...
Over the last 10 years, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, together with hospitals, physicians and care providers across the state, have collaboratively improved clinical quality, efficiency and health outcomes, saved lives and directly...
As the July issue of Health Affairs recognized, Medicaid has become a hotbed for health care transformation, with states increasingly turning to Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and medical homes to reduce costs and improve care...
Five years ago, New Orleans attorney Ermence Parent was struggling to find out what was wrong with her leg. She was 58 years old, and her right leg hurt so much that she needed a cane. That was not only painful, but frustrating for a woman...
I entered family medicine 15 years ago, convinced that I could heal not just my patients, but health care.  Primary care physicians are this country’s comprehensive caregivers — its eyes and ears for total health.  We offer our patients...
If there’s one thing that all healthcare stakeholders can agree upon, it’s that there’s never enough time, money, or manpower to do everything that needs to be done.  Whether electronic health records, novel care delivery frameworks, or...
A political and philosophical brawl among providers, insurers and policymakers in the Tar Heel State is reaching a possible resolution as North Carolina's Legislature attempts to coalesce around a bill that would overhaul the state's...
Value-based reimbursement is a hearty healthcare subject worth diving into as the shift from volume to value continues to evolve. Thirty percent of Medicare payments will be tied to alternative payment models, as per a recent announcement ...
Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas on Wednesday told an advisory group weighing the future of the state’s alternative Medicaidexpansion that he favored keeping it — but only if the federal government allowed changes that seemed intended to...
Increasing productivity in a primary care practice without expecting physicians to work even longer hours is an ongoing challenge.  Some practices have found a solution by training medical assistants to handle more patient care tasks that...
Behavioral health integration (BHI) is becoming increasingly important as physical health and mental health are being viewed as equally important to a patient’s overall health. However, in addition to examining the benefits of BHI, it...

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