News
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Vox: She didn’t get treated at the ER. But she got a $5,751 bill anyway.
Read more: Vox: She didn’t get treated at the ER. But she got a $5,751 bill anyway.By: Sarah Kliff On October 19, 2016, Jessica Pell fainted and hit her head on a nearby table, cutting her ear. She went to the emergency room at Hoboken University Medical Center, where she was given an ice pack. She received no other treatment. She never received any diagnosis. But a bill arrived in the…
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Business Wire: Vitals Reduced Medical Spending for Employers by $56M. Three people every hour shop and save on their health care
Read more: Business Wire: Vitals Reduced Medical Spending for Employers by $56M. Three people every hour shop and save on their health careVitals today released its 2018 Book of Business report. The annual summary reports the metrics associated with shopping activity and savings achieved by employers and employees using Vitals SmartShopper. SmartShopper is a high-tech, high-touch health care program that allows consumers to shop for and choose better-value medical care. Over the past four years, SmartShopper has…
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Health Exec: Drug competition didn’t stop sharp increase in MS spending
Read more: Health Exec: Drug competition didn’t stop sharp increase in MS spendingBy: John Gregory Between 2009 and 2015, spending on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) greatly increased, with disease modifying therapies (DMTs) accounting for 82 percent of that increase as prices jumped every year and use slightly declined. The report from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) examined claims for people with MS from 2009 to…
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HCCI’s Response to Senate Request for Feedback on Price Transparency
Read more: HCCI’s Response to Senate Request for Feedback on Price TransparencyOn February 28, 2018, HCCI, among other key stakeholders, was asked to provide feedback to several questions posed by six U.S. Senators on the issue of health care price transparency. The Senators are launching a bipartisan effort to increase health care price and information transparency to empower patients, improve the quality of health care, and…
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CNN Money: $12,000 for a bee sting? Emergency room visits get even pricier
Read more: CNN Money: $12,000 for a bee sting? Emergency room visits get even pricierBy: Tami Luhby Sylvia Rosas decided to go to the emergency room after getting stung by a bee in her yard in Valrico, Florida. She had experienced allergic reactions in the past, but didn’t have an EpiPen on hand. However, what really hurt was the $12,000 bill she received for the visit to the ER. The…
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Health Affairs: Disinvesting In Primary Care?
Read more: Health Affairs: Disinvesting In Primary Care?By: Christopher Koller and Margaret O’Kane The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) released its analysis of 2016 health spending for a group of commercial insurers last month. The report is a trove of information that, like all good analyses, suggests more questions than it answers. Buried in the report—in figure 15—is an alarming trend that…
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Times Free Press: Cost of care growing for adults with hypertension
Read more: Times Free Press: Cost of care growing for adults with hypertensionBy: Elizabeth Fite Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects the health and wallets of more than 75 million U.S. adults, and the cost of managing this condition is growing, according to a new study from the Health Care Cost Institute. The study released Tuesday analyzed data from employer-sponsored health insurance claims of adults between the ages…
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KHN: Need A Medical Procedure? Pick The Right Provider And Get Cash Back
Read more: KHN: Need A Medical Procedure? Pick The Right Provider And Get Cash BackLaurie Cook went shopping recently for a mammogram near her home in New Hampshire. Using an online tool provided through her insurer, she plugged in her ZIP code. Up popped facilities in her network, each with an incentive amount she would be paid if she chose it. Paid? To get a test? It’s part of…
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Crain’s Chicago Business: This fast-growing doctors group is betting it all on hips and knees
Read more: Crain’s Chicago Business: This fast-growing doctors group is betting it all on hips and kneesBaby boomers are living longer, getting their aching hips and knees replaced as they age. That puts Illinois Bone & Joint Institute in the sweet spot of medicine. Hip and knee replacements are among the most common surgeries in the U.S.—and they’re pricey. Everything involved in replacing one, from surgery to the weeks of rehab…
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Health Payer Intelligence: Medicare Advantage Evaluation Requires Transparent Claims Data
Read more: Health Payer Intelligence: Medicare Advantage Evaluation Requires Transparent Claims DataBy Thomas Beaton February 23, 2018 – The growth of the Medicare Advantage (MA) market requires the release of more claims data to evaluate the commercial and government impact of the program, according to a recent JAMA commentary from the Health Care Cost Institute, ProPublica, and the VA. “Despite the important and increasing role of…