4 key trends for payers and providers in 2022
The sectors face continued operational pressure as they head into a third year of the pandemic, including a tight labor market and shifts in payer mix.
Digital therapeutics face barriers to growth as Pear takes early steps toward sales targets
Support for rapid updates, the limitations of current reimbursement policies, cybersecurity risks as well as a “pressing need” for new regulatory frameworks are among the challenges facing DTx companies, according to researchers.
Study finds racial bias in how clinicians describe patients in medical records
Black patients were 2.5 times more likely to have one or more negative descriptor such as “noncompliant” or “aggressive” in their EHR compared with White patients, researchers found.
Diagnostics makers ride omicron surge in COVID-19 test demand. But for how long in 2022?
The highly transmissible variant caused the Biden administration to announce plans to buy 1 billion rapid tests to provide free to Americans. However, when testing will ramp back down remains an open question.
AHIP backs HHS in surprise billing suit, pushes back against provider claims
Relying on the qualifying payment amount, or median in-network rate, helps center the payment dispute, creating a starting point for when payers and providers may need to turn to a third-party arbiter, the lobby argued.
UnitedHealth reiterates MA growth expectations for 2022 as profits eclipse $4B
“Big picture, really positive,” CEO Andrew Witty said about the fruitful MA market, despite dismal projections from some of UnitedHealth’s peers about slowing enrollment.
Antitrust regulators aim to revamp merger guidelines, signaling threat to health sector deals
The news sparked headlines about an attempt by regulators to target big tech, but it could have serious implications for the healthcare sector for years to come.
Cybersecurity leads ECRI’s list of top medtech hazards for 2022
Cyber incidents can compromise patient care and attacks against hospitals have become more prevalent in recent years. However, ECRI said the worst consequences are preventable.
Biden administration publishes long-awaited TEFCA interoperability framework
After TEFCA’s many fits and starts, ONC head Micky Tripathi called its finalization a “milestone” marking the beginning of a “new era of electronic health information exchange in the U.S.”
CMS extends COVID-19 vaccine deadline for health workers in 24 states
New guidance from CMS sets different vaccine deadlines for healthcare workers in half the country, which could create confusion. Further complicating compliance is Texas’ current shield from any deadline.