CMS released the Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2019 final rule April 9 to give states additional flexibility when choosing benefits in essential health benefit benchmark plans offered under health insurance marketplaces.
Much of the population health model is relatively new. Some of the work is based on other models, particularly the public health model. We know how important an efficient case management structure is to the success of the population health model. How does an organization not only change the model of case management but sustain the change and continue to evaluate its success?
Case managers today face significant challenges when working with patients who abuse opioids. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s 2016 figures, some 2 million Americans had a substance use disorder involving prescription pain medicine in 2015, and an additional 591,000 had a heroin use disorder.
CMS recently released its annual report of Health Insurance Exchange open enrollment, which revealed that open enrollment is down from 12.2 million in 2017 to 11.8 million for 2018.
A national coverage determination (NCD) related to implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) is causing some confusion. The NCD was issued on February 15, and the changes, while billed as “relatively minimal,” may actually require significant process alterations.
Virtual reality is not just for entertainment, it is a valuable tool that healthcare professionals can employ in clinical scenarios, according to CMSA Today. Virtual reality has been used in healthcare since the 1990s, and today serves as a valuable clinical and educational tool.
Some patients can now get more than just a prescription at their local pharmacy. Two healthcare organizations, BayCare Health System, Inc. in Clearwater, Florida, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, have announced separate but similar partnerships with Publix and Walgreens that allow patients to visit specially designed telemedicine kiosks where they can video conference with a doctor to get a diagnosis and treatment for non-urgent medical problems.
