iqtsupport, Author at DeBrunner & Associates

Coronavirus Update for Monday, March 8

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, March 8. New CDC Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People The CDC has issued new guidance on how people who are fully vaccinated can interact safely with others, including those who have and those who have not been vaccinated. Learn more from the following resources: the CDC’s news release announcing the new guidance the new guidance itself the scientific rationale for the CDC’s guidance additional background information for fully vaccinated people on how to protect themselves and others White House The White House [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-09T06:00:21-05:00March 9, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Coronavirus Update for Friday, March 5

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 5. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 3 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. The White House has announced two new members of its COVID response team: Charles Anderson – director of economic policy and budget Sam Berger – director of strategic operations and policy Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has established Medicare codes for billing for the Janssen Biotech COVID-19 vaccine (the Johnson & Johnson vaccine). [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-08T06:00:47-05:00March 8, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

MACPAC Looks at Recipients of Provider Relief Fund Grants

What kinds of providers did and did not receive grants from the CARES Act’s Provider Relief Fund? What were the obstacles to receiving those COVID-19 relief grants and why did some providers fare better in the distribution of Provider Relief Fund resources than others? These questions and more are addressed in “COVID Relief Funding for Medicaid Providers,” a new analysis released by the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.

iqtsupport2021-03-05T06:00:44-05:00March 5, 2021|MACPAC, Medicaid|

Bundled Payments Produce Savings Among Privately Insured

Bundled payments for a limited number of surgical procedures produced a savings of 10.7 percent among privately insured patients according to a study by the RAND Corporation. For the study, participants working for self-insured employers who received three types of surgery – total knee and hip replacement, spinal fusion, and bariatric weight-loss procedures – were offered the opportunity to have those procedures without cost-sharing in exchange for undergoing surgery by specific providers that agreed to accept a bundled payment for the procedure and 30 days of post-surgical care. The result was a savings of 10.7 percent in costs, 85 percent [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-04T06:00:43-05:00March 4, 2021|Uncategorized|

Coronavirus Update for Tuesday, March 2

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 1 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has announced a new round of appointments to positions in the department. The new appointees are: Office of the Secretary Rachel Pryor, Counselor for Health Policy Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Florence Elizabeth “Beth” Lynk, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (Health Care) Office of [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-03T08:34:08-05:00March 3, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Coronavirus Update for Friday, February 26

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:30 on Friday, February 26. Congress The House Budget Committee has passed a COVID-19 relief bill. The following is a summary of the bill’s major spending, how it differs from the previous proposals submitted to the Budget Committee by other House committees, and what the bill does not do. Major Spending Categories The bill, which calls for $1.9 trillion in federal spending and tax credits, proposes: $350 billion for emergency aid to states, local, and tribal governments. $195 billion for state governments, with most of it [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-01T06:00:45-05:00March 1, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Medicare Pays Far More Than Medicaid for Brand-Name Drugs

Medicare pays three times as much for brand-name drugs at retail pharmacies as Medicaid and two-and-a-half times more for specialty drugs, according to a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. The vast difference occurs because of how drug prices are established for the two programs. Under Medicare Part D, individual payers and manufacturers negotiate prices based on commercial market conditions while for Medicaid, federal law requires manufacturers to provide rebates. Learn more about the differences between Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug prices, how and why those differences occur, and their implications in the CBO report “A Comparison of Brand-Name [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-26T06:00:54-05:00February 26, 2021|Medicaid, Medicare|

Coronavirus Update for Thursday, February 25

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, February 25. The White House President Biden has extended the declaration of a national health emergency because of COVID-19. The White House announced a new effort to make masks more available in communities hard hit by the pandemic. The administration will deliver more than 25 million masks to more than 1300 community health centers and 60,000 food pantries and soup kitchens. The White House COVID-19 response team and public health officials held a press briefing on Monday, February 22. See a transcript of [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-26T06:00:24-05:00February 26, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

ACA Medicaid Expansion Cut Young Adult Uninsurance in Half

The number of uninsured young adults fell nearly 50 percent after the Affordable Care Act authorized states to expand their Medicaid programs, a new study has found. According to the Urban Institute, the uninsured rate among people between the ages of 19 and 25 fell from 30.2 percent to 16 percent between 2011 and 2018, with most of the decline coming between 2013 and 2016, when the first round of states expanded their Medicaid programs. The decline in the rate of uninsured young adults mirrored declines in the overall U.S. uninsured rate, which fell from 27.7 percent to 11.3 percent [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-25T13:00:37-05:00February 25, 2021|Affordable Care Act, Medicaid|

Hospitals Starting to Comply With Price Transparency Requirement

One out of every three hospitals is in full compliance with a federal mandate to post payer rates publicly and transparently. And many others are partially in compliance with the federal requirement that took effect on January . Full compliance requires that the postings are machine-readable and include payer-negotiated rates for 300 “shoppable services.” 2000 of 6000 hospitals are already meeting four of five federal criteria and about 20 percent appear to be on their way to doing so. Hospitals began working to comply with the new federal mandate when their attempt to block it in court failed. Learn more [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-25T06:00:47-05:00February 25, 2021|hospitals|

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