News Room

A FEW months ago, we got a call from a former oncology professor of ours. He had developed an experimental precision diagnostic test that he thought would be able to determine which chemotherapies would be most effective against a patient’...
It's easy to write about the importance of effective provider-patient communication and care coordination. How fragmented care causes patients frustration, fear and can lead to readmissions. But it's another matter entirely to attempt to...
Armed with a newly minted set of characteristics governing how retail clinics nationwide should approach the provision of health care, the AAFP is set to enter into discussions with any and all such companies about future opportunities to...
Coloradans are embracing the "medical home" model for health-care delivery, according to a new report from the Colorado Health Foundation. In a medical home, the patient is the focus, and doctors — who traditionally play the “starring...
As the health care system looks to improve overall health and reduce unnecessary spending, primary care physicians become increasingly critical. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) recognizes that primary care clinicians have the potential to “...
In yet another sign that the state is trying to drive down health care costs by bolstering primary care and restructuring how insurers reimburse medical providers, the state health insurance commissioner has announced the overhaul of the...
Baltimore, MD (July 30, 2015) - In its fourth full year of operation, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield’s (CareFirst) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) program continues to show dramatic impacts on overall medical spending and key health...
A program launched in 2011 by the state's largest health insurer to better coordinate patient care has slowed its overall pace of spending, avoiding millions in costs for the health system and the insured, CareFirst Blue Cross BlueShield...
As expected, the CMS' sweeping rule to modernize the regulation of Medicaid managed-care plans is drawing flak from state Medicaid directors and insurers who say it would impose heavy-handed federal control and could hurt patient care....
Mobile health apps, wearable devices, and remote patient monitoring tools all provide superior avenues for meeting the goals of patient engagement. Ever since the HITECH Act was passed in 2009 and meaningful use requirements began...
The patient-centered medical home, a hands-on practice of primary care which emphasizes doctor-patient relationships and patient engagement, is of growing popularity among healthcare organizations. A form of accountable care, the patient-...
The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is often lauded as one of the most effective frameworks for practice transformation.  Integrating health IT and data analytics with population health management and care coordination strategies, the...
While countless online practice-improvement resources exist, there is an acute need for help in safety-net primary care, especially as the U.S. healthcare industry slowly shifts away from fee-for-service to outcomes-based care. That is...
A $57 million experiment to deliver better, more efficient care at federally funded health centers struggled to meet its goals and is unlikely to save money, says a new government report. The test to coordinate treatment for high-risk...
Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, has come a long way since its creation in 1965 when nearly half of all seniors were uninsured.  Now the program covers 55 million people, providing insurance to...
Anthem will acquire Cigna for $188 per share, the health insurance companies announced Friday. The deal, including Cigna's debt, will be worth $54.2 billion. It is the largest-ever health insurance transaction, and part of the mass-scale...
On Wednesday, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees reports were released for 2015. On the Medicare side, the report confirms a score that the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) released back in the spring of 2015 when Congress was...
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is asking to delay Stage 3 meaningful-use rules, its chairman, Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), said during a news conference Thursday. This will be one of several recommendations his...
Effectively managing a chronic health condition involves a myriad of tasks for anyone, ranging from scheduling and getting to frequent doctor appointments to regularly taking and refilling numerous medications and eating a healthy diet....
Primary care incentives for ACOs may not be strong enough to accomplish the goals of improving patient experiences, population health and high costs. “Although practices in ACOs provide higher compensation for quality, compared with...

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