This month, the Federal Trade Commission issued guidance on privacy and security best practices for health-related mobile apps, such as fitness apps connected with wearables, diet and weight loss apps, and health insurance portals.
Reported by Mondaq 17 hours ago.
United States: Regulators Offer Guidance On Privacy And Security For Health App Developers - Proskauer Rose LLP
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UnitedHealth to trim ACA exchanges to 'handful' of states
UnitedHealth, the nation's biggest health insurer, will cut its participation in public health insurance exchanges to only a handful of states next year after expanding to nearly three dozen for this year. The state-based exchanges are a key element behind the Affordable Care Act's push to expand insurance coverage. Insurers say they have struggled, in particular, with customers who have signed up for coverage outside regular enrollment windows and then dumped expensive claims on their books, a problem the government has said it would address. A dozen nonprofit health insurance cooperatives created by the ACA to sell coverage on the exchanges have already folded, and the survivors all lost millions last year.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 17 hours ago.
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US stocks move higher as investors weigh company earnings
U.S. stock indexes moved mostly higher in early trading Tuesday as investors pored through the latest batch of company earnings. Mining and energy companies were among the biggest gainers, while technology stocks lagged the most. Netflix's first-quarter revenue also fell short of Wall Street's expectations. UnitedHealth Group added 2.3 after health insurance company raised its guidance for the year and reported strong results for the first quarter. CTRL-ALT-DEL: IBM slid 4.9 percent after the company delivered improved first-quarter earnings thanks to a big tax refund, but also lower revenue amid weaker software sales. Upbeat economic data and a rebound in oil prices lifted European markets.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 16 hours ago.
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Should insurers like Aetna hand out free Apple Watches?
Who doesn't want an Apple Watch? But they're not cheap — this piece of high-tech wristwear will set you back $300, easy. But what if your health insurance bought it for you? It could happen — especially if Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) can make people see the watch as a health and wellness tool, according to an article at The Motley Fool. Then, it might make sense for insurers to subsidize or even supply the product to plan members. The Motley Fool article says that if insurers did get in on Apple…
Reported by bizjournals 16 hours ago.
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The country's largest health insurance company is almost entirely quitting Obamacare
The country's largest healthcare company is getting out of the Obamacare business.United Healthcare, which currently covers the most Americans in the US (pending the proposed Anthem-Cigna merger), said in its quarterly earnings Tuesday that it is removing its offerings from almost all Affordable Care Act exchanges by 2017.
"The smaller overall market size and shorter-term higher risk profile within this market segment continue to suggest we cannot broadly serve it on an effective and sustained basis," said CEO Stephen Hemsley in the company's quarterly earnings conference call.
"Next year we will remain in only a handful of states, and we will not carry financial exposure from exchanges into 2017. We continue to remain an advocate for more stable and sustainable approaches to serving this market and those who rely on it for their care."
The company had previously said that it was reviewing offering plans through the ACA exchanges, but this is confirmation that the company will remove nearly all of its products come 2017 to remove any financial impact.
The exchanges are state-by-state marketplaces that allow Americans to compare and sign up for the now-mandated health insurance coverage.
Hemsley said that the cost of offering coverage was too high, as those who gained insurance through the exchange were less healthy and thus the company paid more claims out.
"So as we look at it, the early indications on the health status of the members appears to be a little bit worse," said UnitedHealthcare CFO Daniel Schumacher.
In total, the company expects to lose $650 million on people covered through the exchanges in 2016 after losing $475 million in 2015, according to Schumacher.
The company has also noted that younger people, who are healthier and on net pay into the system to help cover older, less healthy members are not signing up through the exchanges. This is hurting revenue and making it less attractive to the healthcare companies.
According to Hemsley, the company covers 795,000 people through the exchanges as of the end of the March 2016 and at the end if the year he expects to cover 650,000.
*SEE ALSO: GUNDLACH: If Trump wins the Republican nomination, he'll win the White House*
*AND: Calls for the demise of Obamacare 'may be premature'*
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: 4.2 million Americans could be displaced by rising sea levels this century — see if your county is at risk Reported by Business Insider 15 hours ago.
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Rob MacNaughton Joins Cambia Health Solutions as Chief Product Officer
MacNaughton will lead the company’s product strategy and drive the development of integrated products and services.
Portland, Ore. (PRWEB) April 19, 2016
Cambia Health Solutions announced Rob MacNaughton is joining the company as Chief Product Officer to lead the company’s product strategy and drive the development of integrated products and services.
MacNaughton is a dynamic senior leader with proven success in business transformation. He brings more than 20 years of experience leading business strategy and strategic growth within a variety of industries including healthcare, e-commerce, software and video gaming.
“Rob brings an expertise and vision in consumer-focused leadership we’ll use to drive Cambia’s work in creating a better health care experience for people and their families,” said Jared Short, Cambia’s Chief Operating Officer. “Rob’s impressive record of consistently driving growth, engagement and execution will help Cambia further enhance our consumer-focus.”
Most recently, MacNaughton served as vice president of strategic growth initiatives for Banfield Pet Hospital, where he reimagined and introduced new hospital concepts, led go-to-market strategy for key products, increased engagement scores, and oversaw expansion efforts to augment Banfield’s market position.
Previously, MacNaughton served as vice president of Games and General Merchandise at Hollywood Entertainment, and increased revenues with redefined merchandising and high-impact marketing strategies. Further, he renegotiated agreements with game publishers and vendors in a way that both cut the cost of goods and delivered better income for Hollywood Entertainment.
About Cambia Health Solutions
Cambia Health Solutions, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a nonprofit total health solutions company dedicated to transforming health care by creating a person-focused and economically sustainable system. Cambia’s growing family of companies range from software and mobile applications, health care marketplaces, non-traditional health care delivery models, health insurance, life insurance, pharmacy benefit management, wellness and overall consumer engagement. Through bold thinking and innovative technology, we are delivering solutions that make quality health care more available, affordable and personally relevant for everyone. To learn more, visit cambiahealth.com or twitter.com/cambia. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
Portland, Ore. (PRWEB) April 19, 2016
Cambia Health Solutions announced Rob MacNaughton is joining the company as Chief Product Officer to lead the company’s product strategy and drive the development of integrated products and services.
MacNaughton is a dynamic senior leader with proven success in business transformation. He brings more than 20 years of experience leading business strategy and strategic growth within a variety of industries including healthcare, e-commerce, software and video gaming.
“Rob brings an expertise and vision in consumer-focused leadership we’ll use to drive Cambia’s work in creating a better health care experience for people and their families,” said Jared Short, Cambia’s Chief Operating Officer. “Rob’s impressive record of consistently driving growth, engagement and execution will help Cambia further enhance our consumer-focus.”
Most recently, MacNaughton served as vice president of strategic growth initiatives for Banfield Pet Hospital, where he reimagined and introduced new hospital concepts, led go-to-market strategy for key products, increased engagement scores, and oversaw expansion efforts to augment Banfield’s market position.
Previously, MacNaughton served as vice president of Games and General Merchandise at Hollywood Entertainment, and increased revenues with redefined merchandising and high-impact marketing strategies. Further, he renegotiated agreements with game publishers and vendors in a way that both cut the cost of goods and delivered better income for Hollywood Entertainment.
About Cambia Health Solutions
Cambia Health Solutions, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a nonprofit total health solutions company dedicated to transforming health care by creating a person-focused and economically sustainable system. Cambia’s growing family of companies range from software and mobile applications, health care marketplaces, non-traditional health care delivery models, health insurance, life insurance, pharmacy benefit management, wellness and overall consumer engagement. Through bold thinking and innovative technology, we are delivering solutions that make quality health care more available, affordable and personally relevant for everyone. To learn more, visit cambiahealth.com or twitter.com/cambia. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
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UnitedHealthcare To Exit All But ‘Handful’ Of Obamacare Markets In 2017
UnitedHealthcare will operate only in a “handful” of health insurance exchanges in 2017, down from 34 states this year, company officials said Tuesday.
Reported by ajc.com 14 hours ago.
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Viacom's stock is tanking because 13 million people are about to lose its channels
Viacom's cable networks are in danger of getting dropped by Dish Networks, and its stock is getting crushed.The owner of such networks as MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central launched a website Tuesday to pressure Dish
"We are extremely disappointed that DISH has not engaged in a serious way to reach an agreement for Viacom’s number one family of cable networks," said the header on the website Keep Viacom.
Television providers and content producers have contracts in which the cable companies pay content-makers fees in order to carry their channels.
The deal between Viacom and Dish Networks is set to expire Wednesday, meaning that Viacom's channels will go black for Dish subscribers once the deal is up.
According to Bloomberg, Dish's 13 million subscribers have begun to see a crawling message at the bottom of the picture on Viacom networks informing them of the move.
This sort of wrangling between a cable provider and content company is not unprecedented. In fact, Viacom went through a similar battle in 2013 with Time Warner Cable which was resolved without a blackout.
The pressure may have backfired, however, as shares of Viacom dove in trading Tuesday. The stock is down a little more than 8.0% as of 2:08 p.m. ET.
*SEE ALSO: Alibaba is making a big bet on Hollywood movies*
*AND: The country's largest health-insurance company is almost entirely quitting Obamacare*
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: A psychologist reveals a trick to stop being lazy Reported by Business Insider 13 hours ago.
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Q&A with building trades leader on his union's support for Hillary Clinton and its dealings with Donald Trump
A year ago, I interviewed Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, about areas where his labor union was working with business groups, such as getting a highway bill passed and ending the so-called “Cadillac tax” on high-value health insurance plans. This week, I sat down with McGarvey again to talk about the 2016 presidential election and what he expects from President Barack Obama’s successor. Here’s an edited transcript of our conversation: Your union has…
Reported by bizjournals 11 hours ago.
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Business Highlights
CVS Health will spread its curbside pickup service to drugstores nationwide this year, as traditional retailers continue to hone their reputations for convenience and fight fierce competition online. The nation's second-largest drugstore chain has partnered with the technology firm Curbside to create CVS Express, a program that lets shoppers buy products with an app and then pick them up about an hour later at a nearby store, where an employee will deliver them to the car. UnitedHealth hiked its 2016 forecast after the nation's largest health insurer topped Wall Street's first-quarter earnings expectations. Health insurance is UnitedHealth's main business, but it has been focusing more on growing its Optum business, which provides pharmacy benefits management and technology services and also operates clinics and doctor's offices. Visa is upgrading its software to process chip-embedded credit and debit cards to function faster — addressing a source of grumbling from businesses and customers who are often forced to wait for transactions to go through. Home construction dropped 8.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million units, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Applications for permits to build new homes, a good indicator of future activity, dropped 7.7 percent in March to an annual rate of 1.09 million units. Johnson & Johnson beat Wall Street expectations despite flat first-quarter profit, as higher sales of new prescription drugs and other key medicines couldn't quite offset another hit from the strong dollar and other issues. The maker of Band-Aids, prescription medicines and medical devices reported adjusted profit, which excludes one-time items, of $1.68 per share, easily beating analysts' expectations for $1.64 per share. Investment bank Goldman Sachs said its first-quarter profits dropped by 56 percent from a year earlier, as the Wall Street firm was not immune from the di
Reported by SeattlePI.com 9 hours ago.
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Business News Roundup, April 20
Kaiser Permanente plans to expand into Santa Cruz County next year by opening three medical office buildings and offering health insurance coverage effective Jan. 1. Kaiser officials said the health maintenance organization giant, which is headquartered in Oakland, already has more than 5,800 members in the region, but the closest Kaiser medical centers are in San Jose and Santa Clara. Kaiser will begin offering commercial and Covered California coverage to Santa Cruz County residents next year pending regulatory approval. Visa says it is improving its smart chip-embedded cards, which have been the source of grumbling from businesses and customers forced to wait for transactions to go through. Though the wait can be just seconds, in today’s economy of swipes and scans, the cards have been a nuisance for high traffic retailers, for example, a coffee shop during the morning rush. “While chip cards have been adopted and generally accepted by customers, there have been some complaints the chip transactions take longer,” said Stephanie Ericksen, vice president of risk products at Visa. Roughly half of all global credit card fraud occurs in the U.S., even though the country makes up only about a quarter of all credit card transactions, according to a report by Barclays last year. The United Arab Emirates has announced plans for a $1 billion Warner Bros. theme park in Abu Dhabi, which will bring to the Middle East the studio’s popular superheroes and cartoon characters ranging from Bugs Bunny and Scooby-Doo to Batman and Superman. The first phase is scheduled to open in 2018 and will include a hotel on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, which is currently home to a Formula 1 race track, Ferrari World amusement park and water park. United Arab Emirates, already a major tourist destination, is looking to drive up its tourism revenue with other eye-popping projects. Dubai has plans for a $3 billion theme park with a Six Flags, a Bollywood-themed amusement area and Legoland.
Reported by SFGate 8 hours ago.
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How healthcare plans are using data to improve health and lower costs
Health insurance remains the single most important benefit to job seekers today. That’s according to a recent survey by Glassdoor, which found that medical and dental benefits are more important to applicants than vacation time, bonuses and even retirement packages. These results are not terribly surprising when you consider the rising cost of health care and the ramifications of not having health insurance. In 2015, the U.S. median household income stood at $53,000, while the average cost of…
Reported by bizjournals 3 hours ago.
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HealthCare and You, LLC Launches Small Business Employee Health Insurance Website
HealthCare and You launches a new website focused on helping small business owners reduce the cost of their employee health insurance. The site explains how it works when it comes to employer or employee funded insurance solutions like HRA, Section 105 HRA, HSA, 125 Cafeteria Plan, FSA, DCAP, POP, Modified Group and the Individual Healthcare Marketplace.
Torrance, CA (PRWEB) April 20, 2016
HealthCare and You launches a new website focused on helping small business owners reduce the cost of their employee health insurance. The site explains how it works when it comes to employer or employee funded insurance solutions like HRA, Section 105 HRA, HSA, 125 Cafeteria Plan, FSA, DCAP, POP, Modified Group and the Individual Healthcare Marketplace.
“Many small businesses are struggling with employee health insurance, mainly because the cost of group health insurance and premiums have nearly doubled since 2009,” states Ron Harris, CEO of HealthCare and You. “A few small business owners know that there are programs available to help them reduce costs, but the majority don’t know that these options even exist. Others just don’t have time or resources to explore and some are skeptical that these programs will work for their business. There are also those who have heard negative things in the media and think they will get penalized by the IRS. These programs are real, they’re certified under the ACA, they benefit both employer and employee, a business can start anytime during the year and these plans are proven to help small business gain control of the healthcare cost. Employee health insurance is an important strategy for any growing business who needs to attract, hire and keep good employees,” adds Harris.
The site teaches about (HRA) Health Reimbursement Arrangement, Section 105 HRA, (HSA) Health Savings Account, 125 Cafeteria Plan, (FSA) Flexible Spending Account, (DCAP) Dependent Care Assist Plan, (POP) Premium Only Plan, Modified Group Plans, and the Individual Healthcare Marketplace.
HealthCare and You, LLC has also developed two new proprietary hybrid small business employee health insurance solutions: a modified group solution that redirects an existing group plan and an individual market employee health insurance solution that moves in a completely new direction. Both solutions deliver substantial savings as compared to the cost of traditional group health insurance, as much as 60%.
"The HealthCare and You site is a wealth of information on the topic of employee health insurance, including a blog and the latest news," states Harris. "For a busy small business owner the website makes it easy to compare all the different employee health insurance options. The site summarizes the law, purpose of the solution, the benefits, the taxes and the cost savings. It introduces business owners to each of these employee health insurance options, demonstrates how they work, how to combine them, describes eligibility and answers frequently asked questions."
Once a business owner decides which small business employee health insurance option will work best for their situation, they simple fill out a short two minute form and within 24 hours they will receive information on how much they will save. HealthCare and You, LLC provides full implementation, program compliance management, personal face-to face insurance plan service and as well as program administration.
HealthCare and You insurance agency offers bold healthcare benefit packages customized to protect individuals, families and the employees of small business. We also offer an outstanding portfolio of life insurance products. HealthCare and You has designed a variety of hybrid Small Business Healthcare Insurance Solutions and Modified Group Healthcare Insurance Plans that deliver better healthcare benefits, more choices, personalized service and premium savings up to 60%, as compared to traditional group health insurance plans. We are committed to providing our clients with the highest quality healthcare insurance plans, the lowest rates, full government reduction and innovative insurance solutions that deliver high value in today’s healthcare environment. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.
Torrance, CA (PRWEB) April 20, 2016
HealthCare and You launches a new website focused on helping small business owners reduce the cost of their employee health insurance. The site explains how it works when it comes to employer or employee funded insurance solutions like HRA, Section 105 HRA, HSA, 125 Cafeteria Plan, FSA, DCAP, POP, Modified Group and the Individual Healthcare Marketplace.
“Many small businesses are struggling with employee health insurance, mainly because the cost of group health insurance and premiums have nearly doubled since 2009,” states Ron Harris, CEO of HealthCare and You. “A few small business owners know that there are programs available to help them reduce costs, but the majority don’t know that these options even exist. Others just don’t have time or resources to explore and some are skeptical that these programs will work for their business. There are also those who have heard negative things in the media and think they will get penalized by the IRS. These programs are real, they’re certified under the ACA, they benefit both employer and employee, a business can start anytime during the year and these plans are proven to help small business gain control of the healthcare cost. Employee health insurance is an important strategy for any growing business who needs to attract, hire and keep good employees,” adds Harris.
The site teaches about (HRA) Health Reimbursement Arrangement, Section 105 HRA, (HSA) Health Savings Account, 125 Cafeteria Plan, (FSA) Flexible Spending Account, (DCAP) Dependent Care Assist Plan, (POP) Premium Only Plan, Modified Group Plans, and the Individual Healthcare Marketplace.
HealthCare and You, LLC has also developed two new proprietary hybrid small business employee health insurance solutions: a modified group solution that redirects an existing group plan and an individual market employee health insurance solution that moves in a completely new direction. Both solutions deliver substantial savings as compared to the cost of traditional group health insurance, as much as 60%.
"The HealthCare and You site is a wealth of information on the topic of employee health insurance, including a blog and the latest news," states Harris. "For a busy small business owner the website makes it easy to compare all the different employee health insurance options. The site summarizes the law, purpose of the solution, the benefits, the taxes and the cost savings. It introduces business owners to each of these employee health insurance options, demonstrates how they work, how to combine them, describes eligibility and answers frequently asked questions."
Once a business owner decides which small business employee health insurance option will work best for their situation, they simple fill out a short two minute form and within 24 hours they will receive information on how much they will save. HealthCare and You, LLC provides full implementation, program compliance management, personal face-to face insurance plan service and as well as program administration.
HealthCare and You insurance agency offers bold healthcare benefit packages customized to protect individuals, families and the employees of small business. We also offer an outstanding portfolio of life insurance products. HealthCare and You has designed a variety of hybrid Small Business Healthcare Insurance Solutions and Modified Group Healthcare Insurance Plans that deliver better healthcare benefits, more choices, personalized service and premium savings up to 60%, as compared to traditional group health insurance plans. We are committed to providing our clients with the highest quality healthcare insurance plans, the lowest rates, full government reduction and innovative insurance solutions that deliver high value in today’s healthcare environment. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.
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United States: IREG Update - Exemptions Of Health Care Sharing Ministries From Insurance Laws And Regulations - Dentons (US)
Whether because of the cost of the policies, or their religious and political principles, many Americans are looking to avoid enrolling in a traditional comprehensive health insurance plan
Reported by Mondaq 21 hours ago.
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This is the impact of the nation's largest insurer leaving Obamacare
President Obama's landmark Affordable Care Act was seemingly dealt a huge blow Tuesday when the nation's largest insurer by people covered, United Healthcare, announced it was leaving the state exchanges in all but a "handful" of states.These exchanges are the cornerstone of Obamacare, which provide a marketplace for Americans who don't have a work insurance offering to pick a plan to cover themselves and their families.
While it would appear that United Health's exit would radically change the game for the ACA exchanges, the impact may not be that significant.
For one thing, United Health never really entered these marketplaces head first. In fact, as of March 31, the company insures only 750,000 of the more than 12 million people enrolled in Obamacare.
In fact, according to the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation, which focuses on healthcare policy, the impact on enrollees premiums and competition would not be substantial.
"The effect of a United withdrawal nationally would be modest," said a study by Cynthia Cox and Ashley Semanskee of Kaiser. "The national weighted average benchmark silver plan would have been roughly 1% higher in 2016 had United not participated (less than $4 per month for an unsubsidized 40-year-old)."
Cox and Semanskee found that United offered mostly high cost plans in just 34 states in the US as of 2016, so by removing themselves from the exchanges the impact would not be as significant as you may think in terms of increased cost or limited choice.
In terms of competition, if United does remove itself from all exchanges Cox and Semanskee found that 53% of all counties covered by exchanges would have only one or two exchanges. While this is significant, most counties with limited options are more rural and less populated. Therefore, the total number of people with limited choice is still relatively low.
Here's Cox and Semanskee (emphasis added):
If United exits everywhere (again, with the exception of Harken Health in Georgia), the number of Marketplace enrollees with access to only one or two exchange insurers would increase (from 1.9 million to 3.8 million or from 15% to 30% of all enrollees), and the number of enrollees with only one insurer would also increase (from 303 thousand to 1.4 million or from 2% to 11% of all enrollees). *Still, the vast majority of Marketplace enrollees (8.9 million or 70% of enrollees nationally) would continue to have a choice of three or more insurers, even in the absence of United.*
This isn't to say that there won't be an impact on some people trying to gain health insurance through exchanges. As the researchers note, the move will disproportionately impact those in rural areas in some Southern states. But, in aggregate, the removal of United from Obamacare isn't a massive shift for costs or competition.
"On average nationally, based on our analysis of 2016 insurer premiums, United’s participation on the exchanges had a relatively small effect on premiums," concluded the study.
"As a result, the weighted average benchmark premium would have been roughly 1% higher had United not participated in 2016 (not accounting for the possible effect changes in insurer participation may have had on pricing behavior or the potential for new entrants to the market)."
Now, as Cox and Semanskee note, the long-run effects of this move are a bit more uncertain. Insurers in communities with less competition could begin raising prices, but there are some provisions in the ACA that would prevent that.
Also, the impact of the move politically is another issue entirely. Republicans have been calling for the end of Obamacare since it was passed, so the optics of United Health's move are up for debate.
In the short-run, it doesn't appear that United Health's decision to pull out of the exchanges will make a huge difference for most Americans.
*For a state by state breakdown of how United Health's move could impact you, check out the full post at the Kaiser Family Foundation website»*
*SEE ALSO: The country's largest healthcare company is getting out of the Obamacare business.*
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: EX-UNDERCOVER DEA AGENT: What I did when drug dealers asked me to try the product Reported by Business Insider 20 hours ago.
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WEDI Releases Report on “Closing Gaps in Care Through Health Data Exchange”
Report represents a first step towards educating the industry on the importance of data exchange in identifying and closing gaps in care
RESTON, Va. (PRWEB) April 20, 2016
WEDI, the nation’s leading authority on the use of health IT to create efficiencies in healthcare information exchange, announced the development of its report titled “Closing Gaps in Care through Health Data Exchange.” This report provides an overview of current approaches, best practices, emerging opportunities and barriers to identifying, preventing and closing gaps in care through data exchange via health information technologies.
For the purposes of this report, gaps in care are defined as the discrepancy between evidence-based recommendations or best practices and the care that is actually delivered. Key findings from the report include:
1. Greater education and communication are needed to raise awareness among stakeholders, particularly providers, about the value of identifying and closing gaps in care.
2. Gaps in care can threaten the performance of healthcare organizations.
3. Gaps in care programs have had a positive impact and seem to produce a high return on investment.
4. Consensus is needed to develop and standardize quality measures and methodologies for information exchange among health plans, providers and patients in an actionable manner.
5. In addition to interoperability, key technical barriers to exchanging gaps in care information include the provenance, quality, completeness, timeliness, transparency and accuracy of the data.
6. Addressing gaps in care is a critical issue for stakeholders that grows in importance as value-based care efforts mature and health insurance coverage access and care increase.
According to the report: “As value-based care, consumerization and population health management strategies continue to transform the healthcare industry, the implementation of gaps in care programs will be critical to improving quality and reducing costs. Healthcare stakeholders must continue to work together to develop a health IT infrastructure that can seamlessly exchange health data, automate the identification of gaps in care and streamline the coordination of services. Our research suggests that greater education and communication are needed to raise awareness among stakeholders. The report represents a first step towards educating the industry on the importance of data exchange in identifying and closing gaps in care.”
Additionally, the report summarizes results from the Louis W. Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation’s mixed-methods qualitative research that was conducted to enable a better understanding of data exchange challenges and to identify effective strategies for workflow automation and optimization. Methods included qualitative interviews, case studies, a quantitative national survey and one focus group.
“As we increasingly grow fee-for-value arrangements in our nation, it is critical that we look to methods to not only automate gaps-in-care – to not only ensure that data moves seamlessly between clinical systems and payment systems but that the information is useful and actionable for clinicians and patients,” commented the Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, MD, Board Chair of the Sullivan Institute. The Sullivan Institute is a sister organization to the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI).
The “Closing Gaps in Care through Health Data Exchange” report was made possible through the support of GE Healthcare, and is available on the WEDI website.
About WEDI
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) is the leading authority on the use of health IT to improve healthcare information exchange in order to enhance the quality of care, improve efficiency, and reduce costs of our nation’s healthcare system. WEDI was formed in 1991 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and was designated in the 1996 HIPAA legislation as an advisor to HHS. WEDI’s membership includes a broad coalition of organizations, including: hospitals, providers, health plans, vendors, government agencies, consumers, not-for-profit organizations, and standards development organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.wedi.org and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About The Sullivan Institute
The Louis W. Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation is the sister foundation of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI). Led by Former Secretary of HHS Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, the Institute is a network of private institutions, at the CEO level, that serve to quickly identify and spread innovative technologies across the US healthcare system with the goal of accelerating the pace of health IT adoption, to realize efficiencies in healthcare information exchange and to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. More information on the Sullivan Institute can be found online at http://www.sullivaninstitute.org.
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Press contact information:
Jennifer Jennings
770-900-5456
Jennifer(at)andersoni(dot)com Reported by PRWeb 20 hours ago.
RESTON, Va. (PRWEB) April 20, 2016
WEDI, the nation’s leading authority on the use of health IT to create efficiencies in healthcare information exchange, announced the development of its report titled “Closing Gaps in Care through Health Data Exchange.” This report provides an overview of current approaches, best practices, emerging opportunities and barriers to identifying, preventing and closing gaps in care through data exchange via health information technologies.
For the purposes of this report, gaps in care are defined as the discrepancy between evidence-based recommendations or best practices and the care that is actually delivered. Key findings from the report include:
1. Greater education and communication are needed to raise awareness among stakeholders, particularly providers, about the value of identifying and closing gaps in care.
2. Gaps in care can threaten the performance of healthcare organizations.
3. Gaps in care programs have had a positive impact and seem to produce a high return on investment.
4. Consensus is needed to develop and standardize quality measures and methodologies for information exchange among health plans, providers and patients in an actionable manner.
5. In addition to interoperability, key technical barriers to exchanging gaps in care information include the provenance, quality, completeness, timeliness, transparency and accuracy of the data.
6. Addressing gaps in care is a critical issue for stakeholders that grows in importance as value-based care efforts mature and health insurance coverage access and care increase.
According to the report: “As value-based care, consumerization and population health management strategies continue to transform the healthcare industry, the implementation of gaps in care programs will be critical to improving quality and reducing costs. Healthcare stakeholders must continue to work together to develop a health IT infrastructure that can seamlessly exchange health data, automate the identification of gaps in care and streamline the coordination of services. Our research suggests that greater education and communication are needed to raise awareness among stakeholders. The report represents a first step towards educating the industry on the importance of data exchange in identifying and closing gaps in care.”
Additionally, the report summarizes results from the Louis W. Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation’s mixed-methods qualitative research that was conducted to enable a better understanding of data exchange challenges and to identify effective strategies for workflow automation and optimization. Methods included qualitative interviews, case studies, a quantitative national survey and one focus group.
“As we increasingly grow fee-for-value arrangements in our nation, it is critical that we look to methods to not only automate gaps-in-care – to not only ensure that data moves seamlessly between clinical systems and payment systems but that the information is useful and actionable for clinicians and patients,” commented the Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, MD, Board Chair of the Sullivan Institute. The Sullivan Institute is a sister organization to the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI).
The “Closing Gaps in Care through Health Data Exchange” report was made possible through the support of GE Healthcare, and is available on the WEDI website.
About WEDI
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) is the leading authority on the use of health IT to improve healthcare information exchange in order to enhance the quality of care, improve efficiency, and reduce costs of our nation’s healthcare system. WEDI was formed in 1991 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and was designated in the 1996 HIPAA legislation as an advisor to HHS. WEDI’s membership includes a broad coalition of organizations, including: hospitals, providers, health plans, vendors, government agencies, consumers, not-for-profit organizations, and standards development organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.wedi.org and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About The Sullivan Institute
The Louis W. Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation is the sister foundation of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI). Led by Former Secretary of HHS Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, the Institute is a network of private institutions, at the CEO level, that serve to quickly identify and spread innovative technologies across the US healthcare system with the goal of accelerating the pace of health IT adoption, to realize efficiencies in healthcare information exchange and to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. More information on the Sullivan Institute can be found online at http://www.sullivaninstitute.org.
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Press contact information:
Jennifer Jennings
770-900-5456
Jennifer(at)andersoni(dot)com Reported by PRWeb 20 hours ago.
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UnitedHealth will nix individual plans in Missouri
The nation's biggest health insurer will stop offering individual health insurance plans in Missouri in 2017, including those offered through the federal health insurance marketplace, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. UnitedHealth Group Inc., which expanded to 34 states this year, said it will now only offer exchange health plans in a handful of states. It's unclear how many Missourians will be affected. UnitedHealth, which has a customer support center in Albuquerque, has Medicaid contracts…
Reported by bizjournals 17 hours ago.
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One big insurer is leaving ACA exchanges — will others follow?
Lots of insurers have been talking about leaving the health insurance exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act. But one is proving it’s not just talk. Minnesota-based United HealthCare Services Inc. (NYSE: UNH), the nation’s largest insurer, said yesterday that it would stop selling individual plans on all but a few exchanges, effective in 2017. United lost about $1 billion on those exchanges in 2015 and 2016, according to The Associated Press. I’ve asked the company whether that includes…
Reported by bizjournals 14 hours ago.
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UnitedHealthcare to exit nearly all Obamacare exchanges, including in North Carolina
UnitedHealthcare will exit North Carolina's health insurance exchange and nearly all of the 34 insurance exchanges where it sells individual plans, company executives said this week. Stephen Hemsley, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, said Tuesday during a call with analysts that the Minnesota-based insurer will lose an estimated $1 billion on its plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces during 2015 and 2016 combined. "Next year we will remain in only a handful of states, and we will…
Reported by bizjournals 14 hours ago.
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Fully understand the IoT with this report
The Internet of Things (IoT) Revolution is picking up speed and it will change how we live, work, and entertain ourselves in a million ways big and small.From agriculture to defense, retail to healthcare, everything is going to be impacted by the growing ability of businesses, governments, and consumers to connect to and control their environments:
· “Smart mirrors” will allow consumers to try on clothes digitally, enhancing their shopping experience and reducing returns for the retailer
· Assembly line sensors will detect tiny drops in efficiency that indicate critical equipment is wearing out and schedule down-time maintenance in response
· Agricultural equipment guided by GPS and IoT technology will soon plant, fertilize and harvest vast croplands like a giant Roomba while the “driver” reads a magazine
· Active people will share lifestyle data from their fitness trackers in order to help their doctor make better health care decisions (and capture discounts on health insurance premiums)
No wonder the Internet of Things has been called “the next Industrial Revolution.” It’s so big that it could mean new revenue streams for your company and new opportunities for you. The only question is: Are you fully up to speed on the IoT?
Research analysts John Greenough and Jonathan Camhi of BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, spent months of researching and reporting this exploding trend and have put together a report on the Internet of Things that explains its exciting present and the fascinating future.
It covers how IoT is being implemented today, where the new sources of opportunity will be tomorrow and how 17 separate sectors of the economy will be transformed over the next 20 years, including:
· Agriculture
· Connected Home
· Defense
· Financial services
· Food services
· Healthcare
· Hospitality
· Infrastructure
· Insurance
· Logistics
· Manufacturing
· Oil, gas, and mining
· Retail
· Smart buildings
· Transportation
· Connected Car
· Utilities
If you work in any of these sectors, it's important for you to understand how the IoT will change your business and possibly even your career. And if you’re employed in any of the industries that will build out the IoT infrastructure—networking, semiconductors, telecommunications, data storage, cybersecurity—this report is a must-have.
Among the big picture insights you’ll get from *The Internet of Things: Examining How the IoT Will Affect The World*:
· IoT devices connected to the Internet will more than triple by 2020, from 10 billion to 34 billion. IoT devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.) will comprise 10 billion.
· Nearly $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions over the next five years.
· Businesses will be the top adopter of IoT solutions because they will use IoT to 1) lower operating costs; 2) increase productivity; and 3) expand to new markets or develop new product offerings.
· Governments will be the second-largest adopters, while consumers will be the group least transformed by the IoT.
And when you dig deep into the report, you’ll get the whole story in a clear, no-nonsense presentation:
· The complex infrastructure of the Internet of Things distilled into a single ecosystem
· The most comprehensive breakdown of the benefits and drawbacks of mesh (e.g. ZigBee, Z- Wave, etc.), cellular (e.g. 3G/4G, Sigfox, etc.), and internet (e.g. Wi-Fi, Ethernet, etc.) networks
· The important role analytics systems, including edge analytics, cloud analytics, will play in making the most of IoT investments
· The sizable security challenges presented by the IoT and how they can be overcome
· The four powerful forces driving IoT innovation, plus the four difficult market barriers to IoT adoption
· Complete analysis of the likely future investment in the critical IoT infrastructure: connectivity, security, data storage, system integration, device hardware, and application development
· In-depth analysis of how the IoT ecosystem will change and disrupt 17 different industries
*The Internet of Things: Examining How the IoT Will Affect The World* is how you get the full story on the Internet of Things.
To get your copy of this invaluable guide to the IoT universe, choose one of these options:
1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> *START A MEMBERSHIP*
2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> *BUY THE REPORT*
The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the fast-moving world of the IoT.
Join the conversation about this story » Reported by Business Insider 12 hours ago.
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