Patient Safety

Payer Launches Discharge Program To Lower MA Hospital Readmissions

May 10, 2021 - UnitedHealthcare has announced the launch of a new program that aims to lower hospital readmissions by helping Group Retiree Medicare Advantage beneficiaries safely transition back home after discharge from a hospital or skilled nursing facility. The program, UnitedHealthcare Healthy at Home, will provide retirees access to social determinants of...

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Blue Shield of California Reduces Member Opioid Use by 56%

by Jessica Kent

Blue Shield of California’s Narcotic Safety Initiative has achieved a 56 percent reduction in opioid use among members with chronic pain, surpassing its 2018 year-end goal by six percentage...

Cambia Streamlines Health Data Exchange with FHIR, Da Vinci Project

by Jennifer Bresnick

Cambia Health Solutions has partnered with two healthcare provider networks to enhance health data exchange by leveraging FHIR. As part of the Da Vinci Project, Cambia is working with Oregon Health...

Engagement, Data Analytics Cut Opioid Dependency in Managed Care

by Thomas Beaton

AmeriHealth Caritas has successfully reduced opioid dependency rates among managed care beneficiaries through member engagement and data analytics techniques that promote alternatives to opioid...

Insured Critical Illness Beneficiaries Face High Treatment Costs

by Thomas Beaton

Health plan members with critical illnesses face high treatment costs and other financial issues even with comprehensive health insurance, said a new survey conducted by the Harvard T. Chan School of...

IL Payers File Pharma Lawsuit Over Opioid Prescription Costs, Safety

by Thomas Beaton

A coalition of Illinois payers has sued prominent pharmaceutical companies in a lawsuit that argues the companies are responsible for a spike in opioid prescription costs and patient safety risks. The...

PA Expands Access to Medication Assisted Treatment for SUD

by Thomas Beaton

Commercial payers and the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance (PDI) have agreed to increase access to medication-assisted treatments (MAT) and realign prior authorization processes for beneficiaries...

Risk Scoring, New Payment Models Can Reduce Medication Non-Adherence

by Thomas Beaton

Adopting new payment models, engaging in targeted risk scoring, and improving prior authorization processes may help payers address medication-non adherence among members with mental health concerns,...

FDA Recruits Payers to Submit Quality Feedback on Medical Devices

by Thomas Beaton

FDA has launched a new quality assurance program that leverages feedback from commercial payers about medical device coverage requirements in order to expedite approvals. The Private Payor Program...

AMA Expresses Concern with Medicare Part D Formulary Changes

by Thomas Beaton

New Medicare Part D formulary policies introduced by CMS in August may increase patient safety risks and complicate the prior authorization process, said AMA President Barbara L. McAneny, MD, to...

CAQH CORE Urges Industry Collaboration on Prior Authorizations

by Thomas Beaton

CAQH CORE is urging healthcare payers, providers, and other stakeholders to promote industry-wide collaboration on how to improve prior authorizations. Leading provider and payer organizations,...

CMS Offers Opioid Coverage, Health IT Guidance for Medicaid Plans

by Thomas Beaton

CMS has issued new opioid coverage strategies and health IT guidance to help states improve opioid safety within Medicaid plans. The guidelines include advice for state programs about treating infants...

How Payers Address the Nation’s Opioid Crisis, Patient Safety

by Thomas Beaton

Commercial payers leverage community financing and engagement techniques to limit patient safety risks related to the nation’s opioid crisis. Payers find that contributing information to datasets...

BCBS Association: Use Alternative Pain Therapies Before Opioids

by Thomas Beaton

The BlueCross BlueShield Association (BCBSA) has announced a new professional standard that removes opioid prescriptions as a primary pain treatment in a majority of clinical situations. The...

Prior Authorization Issues Contribute to 92% of Care Delays

by Thomas Beaton

Prior authorization issues are associated with 92 percent of care delays and may contribute to patient safety concerns as well as administrative inefficiencies, according to a new survey from...

Payers Address Opioid Safety Via Education, $0 Narcan Co-Pays

by Thomas Beaton

Commercial payers are addressing the nation’s opioid crisis and promoting opioid safety by funding patient education programs and waiving Narcan co-pays to reduce barriers to...

CA to Investigate Aetna after Insurance Claim Review Admission

by Thomas Beaton

The California Insurance Commission has opened an investigation into Aetna’s medical practices after a former medical director for the company testified in court that he did not review patient...

AHIP: 25% of Opioid Prescriptions Top CDC Dosage Guidelines

by Thomas Beaton

An AHIP retrospective analysis of claims data found that 25 percent of opioid prescriptions were above CDC dosage recommendation and provides a basic snapshot of problematic areas where payers could...

GAO: CMS Needs More Data to Manage Medicare Opioid Risks

by Thomas Beaton

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that CMS should collect additional data on Medicare beneficiary opioid risks, including the number of beneficiaries with high-dose opioid...

Payers Leverage Data, Wellness Benefits to Address Opioid Abuse

by Thomas Beaton

Providing substance use disorder (SUD) treatment options and making investments in beneficiary drug safety is a critical component of wellness programs, considering that the White House deemed opioid...

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