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Hospitals and physicians have long complained that payers won't ante up for the costs of higher quality. In response, payers often contend that there is no evidence that higher quality [...]

Cost-cutting should not be the primary goal for information technology investments. Instead, the focus should be on improving access to care by streamlining eligibility and referral checking, providing better customer [...]

HMOs make higher payments to major teaching hospitals than to non-academic centers, according to a study by The Medstat Group. The analysis found that HMOs pay major teaching hospitals about [...]

The latest report from the Congressional Budget Office contains good news for lawmakers trying to reduce the budget deficit. Forecasts by the CBO show lower-than-expected federal spending for Medicare and [...]

Changes in Medicare reimbursement sought by the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission could have a significant impact on the bottom lines of teaching hospitals. Coupled with a recommendation to freeze Medicare [...]

For the first time since 1996, the average growth rate for Medicaid spending slowed. For fiscal 2003, which in most states ended June 30, Medicaid spending went up just 9.3 [...]

In California, the emergency fund that pays out workers' compensation claims may run out of money next year if action is not taken quickly. The California Insurance Guarantee Association is [...]

Physicians may have dodged a Medicare payment cut this year, but next year may be another question. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services predict that Medicare physician payments will [...]

With state and local government's across the nation confronting mounting budget deficits, the pressure is on to reduce Medicaid, health coverage for state workers and other publicly funded health services. [...]

On January 1, Medicare cut physician fees across the board by 5.4 percent While there are many efforts under way to reverse these cuts. for now they are hitting the [...]

A new study by Express Scripts Inc., one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefit management companies, found that spending on prescription drugs rose by 17.4 percent last year, with seniors [...]

There appears to be growing recognition in Washington that the Balanced Budget Amendment went too far in constraining provider payments. The Clinton administration has announced that it will ask Congress [...]

First Health Group Corp., a Downers Grove, Illinois-based health plan, has announced that it will be the first managed care company to arrange payment for Internet consultations between patients and [...]

One way that hospitals and health systems are trying to keep costs down is through group purchasing organizations. A new study conducted for the Health Industry Group Purchasing Association found [...]

Doctors' salaries are not keeping up with the increased profitability of integrated delivery systems (IDSs), according Ernst & Young's 1998 Physician Benchmarking Survey. The survey shows that financial losses for [...]

Employers are spending less on health benefits and the sharpest cuts have been made in the behavioral health arena. A new study by the Hay Group, an actuarial and benefits [...]

The solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund has already been impacted by the improved economic conditions. The Fund's trustees report that the Hospital Insurance trust fund will remain solvent until [...]

Managed care may be growing. but some of the major players continue to struggle. MedPartners Inc., one of the nation's largest physician management companies, reported a loss of $25.7 million [...]

While health care inflation may have stabilized in 1996, there's some evidence that an uptick in the inflation rate could be in store. A recent survey of large employers found [...]

Could America's health care providers deliver more cost-effective, higher quality care? The answer to that question is a resounding yes, according to a study conducted by H CIA, Inc. and [...]

Health care spending in the U.S. increased by just 4.4 percent in 1996, the lowest rate in 37 years, according to a report released by Health and Human Services Secretary [...]