Top 3 Things the “No Surprises Act” Means for Health Plans
It’s staggering to think that, according to researchers, one in five emergency room visits result in an individual receiving a bill for treatment or services they expected to be covered by their health plan, but weren’t. These unexpected, costly, and often frustrating charges are aptly called Surprise Medical Bills. While surprise medical bills impact consumers financially, […]
Designing and Building Clinician Networks That Address Social Determinants of Health
FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM OUR WEBINAR Watch: Designing and Building Clinician Networks That Address Social Determinants of Health As clinicians and payers take on increasing risk for patient outcomes, it is essential that leaders consider the effectiveness of their networks as well as the accuracy of their clinician directories to ensure they are adequately serving their members. Modern […]
New Metrics are Critical to Addressing Mental Health Access Concerns
Our new normal is far from normal. There is this level of incredible, nonstop uncertainty around our current situation, and none of us are immune. CDC data, collected in late June, noted an increase month-over-month in mental health issues. It showed that 40 percent of adults struggled with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse1. […]
The Rebirth of Network Adequacy: Modernizing Health Plan Practice
Reprinted from The URAC Report. Nearly two months ago now CMS finalized changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D for 2021 and while I previously covered the new telehealth network adequacy provisions, I’ve been meaning to do a deeper dive into how network adequacy as a whole has changed in recent years. To do this, I reached out to Cari […]
Preparing for the Era of Provider Network Transparency
Copyright 2020 Compliance Today, a publication of the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA). Transparency is one of the top buzzwords in healthcare today. In the last few years, we have seen the rollout of significant healthcare transparency initiatives focused on portable health records, hospital costs, drug costs, quality data, and many other things (e.g., Executive […]
Rule Raises Questions About Telehealth, Directory Accuracy
Reprinted with AIS Health permission from the July 2, 2020, issue of RADAR on Medicare Advantage. As Medicare Advantage and other insurers report increasing use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic and consider the larger role that virtual visits could play on a more permanent basis, CMS recently finalized a set of policies for 2021 […]
ESRD Enrollment Creates Cost, Network Unknowns for MAOs
Reprinted with AIS Health permission from the July 2, 2020, issue of RADAR on Medicare Advantage. As Medicare Advantage plans prepare to enroll patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) this fall, a recent change to network adequacy measurement will give them some flexibility in how they include dialysis care in their networks. Meanwhile, a new lawsuit […]
Pressure Mounts on MA Plans to Address Racial Disparities
Reprinted with AIS Health permission from the June 18, 2020, issue of RADAR on Medicare Advantage As protests erupt across the U.S. calling for racial justice and police reforms, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to bring to light many of the racial disparities in health care, putting pressure on policymakers and the industry to take a hard […]
Quest Analytics Launches Quest Enterprise Services
First to launch platform enabling health plans to simultaneously measure, manage and monitor network adequacy AND directory accuracy. OVERLAND PARK, Kan., June 16, 2020 – Quest Analytics, the leader in measuring, managing and monitoring health plan network performance, today announced the release of Quest Enterprise Services (QES), the first and only platform to enable the health plan community to […]
Though Agency Released No New Policy, CMS Says Inaccurate MA Provider Directories Raise Network Adequacy Issues
Reprinted from the April 3, 2019, article in Inside Health Policy. CMS emphasized the importance of accurate provider directories for Medicare Advantage plans, saying that inaccuracies can bring plans’ network adequacy into question, but did not finalize new policy to improve the directories as part of the MA and Part D call letter for next year. […]
