Plus, smaller Medicare Advantage plans may be in trouble. Here’s why

This Week

Mar 11, 2023

Walgreens won't sell abortion pills in GOP states after legal threats from state officials; California won't renew contract


Are Medicare Advantage plans in trouble? Plan size and star ratings could matter a lot, experts say


Hospital-at-home steps out of the COVID-era through new Atrium Health, Best Buy partnership - Robert King

 

Featured

Walgreens won't sell abortion pills in GOP states after legal threats from state officials; California won't renew contract

The Walgreens decision stems from a letter written by nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general at the beginning of February that threatened legal action if the company began distributing Mifepristone in their states.
 

Top Stories

Are Medicare Advantage plans in trouble? Plan size and star ratings could matter a lot, experts say

Small and nonprofit Medicare Advantage plans are the most likely to get their profits dinged by new regulations unveiled by CMS, which could further consolidation in the already heavily concentrated market.

Hospital-at-home steps out of the COVID-era through new Atrium Health, Best Buy partnership

Best Buy Health with Atrium Health announced a new partnership to merge the electronic retailer's omnichannel experience, robust supply chain and Geek Squad support with the health system's clinical expertise. Through the collaboration, the duo hopes to scale Atrium's hospital-at-home offering.

Providers join insurers in calls for changes to controversial Medicare Advantage pay rule

Several provider groups were concerned they didn't have enough time to fully understand the impact of radical changes to Medicare Advantage's risk adjustment model.

Elevance Health study links heart problems to long COVID

Healthcare plan Elevance Health did a deep dive into its claims data and found that individuals who’d suffered from severe COVID-19 were more likely to have long heart problems linked to long COVID than individuals who hadn’t been infected.

Transcarent to acquire part of AI-powered primary care startup 98point6

Healthcare startup Transcarent is bulking up its portfolio by snapping up part of virtual care company 98point6.

Biden proposes increasing taxes on wealthy, expanding drug negotiations to shore up Medicare

President Joe Biden proposed to raise taxes on wealthy Americans and expand the drugs eligible for Medicare price negotiation to shore up the Medicare trust fund.

Georgia lawmakers, NAACP ask HHS, IRS to investigate Wellstar's Atlanta hospital closure

The safety-net hospital's sudden closure could be a civil rights transgression as well as a violation of Wellstar's nonprofit status, Democratic leaders and the civil rights group wrote in complaints filed with federal agencies.

Walgreens-backed VillageMD picks up Starling Physicians to broaden primary care footprint in the Northeast

VillageMD, which is majority-owned by Walgreens, acquired Starling Physicians, a primary care and multi-specialty group in Connecticut. Fresh off its $8.9 billion deal for Summit Health-CityMD, this latest acquisition marks the third transaction so far in 2023 as VillageMD continues to expand its primary care footprint.

Healthcare Dealmakers—CVS buys Oak Street Health for $10.6B; Amazon closes $3.9B One Medical deal; and more

Sanford Health and Fairview Health Services bump back their merger timeline, UnitedHealth Group closes a $5.4 billion LHC Group purchase and more merger and acquisition news from the month of February.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don't miss an episode

'Podnosis' celebrates International Women's Day: Post-Roe maternal health, and spurring diversity in healthcare leadership

In this week's episode of "Podnosis," we discuss the impact of abortion bans on women’s health and what can be done to improve the maternal health system. We also talk about how the healthcare industry needs to think creatively about the next generation of leadership.
 

Resources

eBook

The Change Healthcare 2022 Revenue Cycle Denials Index

The Change Healthcare 2022 Revenue Cycle Denials Index provides a review of national medical claim denial trends, with strategies to help decrease denial rates.
eBook

Humanizing Revenue Cycle Management

See how over 90% of healthcare organizations have seen improvements to business-critical metrics after working to make RCM more patient-focused
Research

Interoperability: Why It’s Critical to Health Plans

Learn how interoperability and digital transformation can create new opportunities for health plans far beyond regulatory requirements.
 

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