Archive for 'Consumers'
Accountable Care Organizations (ACO’S)
19 August 2010The concept of Accountable Care Organizations (ACO’s) was given a prominent place in this year’s reform legislation. In essence, an ACO is a network of healthcare providers that manage the full continuum of care for all patients within the provider network.
The goal of an ACO is to reduce costs and improve quality [...]
Yet Another Fine
14 August 2008 Yet another payer has been ordered by state regulators to pay restitution of $3.9 million to thousands of members and a $250,000 fine for underpayment of claims related to care in out-of-network hospitals and other medical facilities.
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin ordered the health insurer to make the payments over the next several [...]
Healthcare Payment Reform
24 July 2008 In many ways, the nation’s current healthcare payment system creates inefficiencies by adding cost and complexity to healthcare administration. Achieving payment system reforms will require a level of cooperation among all stakeholders.
In the current volume-based payment system physicians and others who provide high-quality, efficient care and thereby reduce the volume of patient services, [...]
Virtual Office Visits
4 July 2008 The doctor doesn’t have to see you now. Thanks to new technology, patients may not always need a face-to-face visit with their doctor to get the care they need.
And thanks to a growing awareness of this fact on the part of health plans, structured, Internet-facilitated and reimbursable “virtual visits” are on the verge [...]
The Doctor Will See You Now – Online!
1 April 2008 If you could have the equivalent of a doctor’s appointment – via the Web – without actually going to the doctor, would you do it? Would you be willing to pay for it?
Some doctors and health insurers are betting that patients will hand over a co-pay or more for the convenience of describing [...]
