Trump pitches healthcare policy outline aimed at lowering costs: 3 takeaways

President Donald Trump released a sparsely detailed healthcare policy framework Jan. 15 that calls on Congress to codify voluntary drug pricing agreements with major pharmaceutical companies, direct payments to Americans over extending enhanced ACA subsidies, and expand price transparency requirements for insurers and providers. The proposal does not identify how most of its provisions would […]

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New York hospital nurses vote to unionize: 4 notes

Registered nurses at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, N.Y., have voted to unionize. The hospital is part of Centralus Health. Here are four things to know: 1. The 350 registered nurses are part of Cayuga United-CWA, represented by the Communications Workers of America, according to a Jan. 15 union news release. 2. Eligible nurses participated […]

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Prime taps regional CEO

Rick Naegler has been appointed regional CEO of Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare’s four hospitals in Missouri and Kansas. Mr. Naegler leads Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., St. John Hospital in Leavenworth, Kan., St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., and St. Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs, Mo., according to a Jan. […]

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UT health system to deploy generative AI enterprisewide

Austin-based University of Texas System plans to roll out a generative AI platform across its healthcare facilities. The academic health system is adopting a HIPAA-compliant AI chat platform for clinicians and AI agents for staff productivity from tech company Qualified Health. The deployment also includes clinical quality registries and care-gap identification, with a goal of […]

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Panel postpones vote on 300-bed Banner Health hospital

A vote on Phoenix-based Banner Health’s proposed hospital project in Scottsdale, Ariz., was delayed after the health system requested a continuance during a meeting of Scottsdale’s Planning Commission on Jan. 14. Banner broke ground in May on the first phase of the Banner Health Scottsdale Medical Campus, which includes a medical office building with outpatient […]

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Recortes federales pondrán en riesgo la inscripción en Medicaid, advierte directora ejecutiva del plan público de salud más grande

Cuando la directora del plan público de salud más grande del país expresa su preocupación por los inminentes recortes federales a Medicaid, no lo hace solo porque se trata de su trabajo. Es algo personal. Martha Santana-Chin, hija de inmigrantes mexicanos, creció con Medi-Cal, la versión californiana de Medicaid, el programa de atención médica administrado […]

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Kaiser Permanente To Pay $556 Million in Record Medicare Advantage Fraud Settlement

In the largest Medicare Advantage fraud settlement to date, Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $556 million to settle Justice Department allegations that it billed the government for medical conditions patients didn’t have. The settlement, announced Jan. 14, resolves whistleblower lawsuits that accused the giant health insurer of mounting a years-long scheme in which it […]

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Kaiser Permanente to pay $556M to settle Medicare Advantage whistleblower lawsuit 

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $556 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting invalid diagnosis codes for Medicare Advantage enrollees to obtain higher payments from the federal government. According to the Justice Department, multiple Kaiser Permanente affiliates improperly increased risk-adjusted MA payments by pressuring physicians to […]

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